Entwined Hearts
by JC-zala
Summary: Sequel of Love Fulfilled. Athrun was engaged to the girl of his dreams. But a new guy comes into Cagalli's life and creates a big misunderstanding. On the other hand, Kira is facing his own engagement problems with two girls.
1. A Memorable Reunion

JC: Finally, the sequel of Love Fulfilled is here! I'm sorry if it took so long. I was busy writing my other story. Before proceeding, I would like to thank the reviewers who have supported Love Fulfilled. I hope you enjoy reading this sequel as well. Please read on...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed Destiny.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts **

Phase 01: Memorable Reunion

Six months have already passed since Rey Za Burrel became the Chairman of PLANT. During those times, ORB and PLANT were at peace, but the leaders hardly have any time to have peace for themselves. Every single day they would check the military status, attend meetings, and sign so many reports. Nothing was ever easy for them, because being a leader requires a great sense of responsibility. But they are just normal people like the rest, and they too desired some rest.

_Splash!_

"Cagalli, you got me all wet!" Kira Yamato, head representative of ORB, yelled out. He was soaking wet, because his sister just splashed him with water, and he was wearing his favorite t-shirt!

"Oh come on, Kira. The beach is for fun and not for just sitting around and doing nothing!" Cagalli, the blonde princess of ORB, said with arms crossed behind her. She looked at Kira with an uncanny smile.

"Hey, I wanted to sit back and enjoy the scenery here."

"How can you call that fun? That's so boring."

"But I..." Before Kira continued, Athrun Zala placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn to face him. "Athrun, what is it?" Kira asked.

"I hate to say this but she's right. Why don't you go and play with her?" Athrun suggested.

"Not you too," sighed Kira. "I just wanted some peace and quiet."

"Well, the beach is not exactly the most peaceful place if Cagalli's around." Athrun chuckled. He looked at the blonde who was still waiting for Kira. "Kira, you mustn't keep her waiting. You know that she's very impatient." Athrun reminded him.

"I don't have a choice." Kira removed his t-shirt and placed it on the beach blanket. He stood and ran towards Cagalli. "Okay, what do you want me to do now?" he asked Cagalli, looking kind of pissed off.

Cagalli showed him a smile. "Well, Kira..." She suddenly grabbed Kira's hands and led him to the water. Once there, she pushed Kira hard, making him fall face first in the water. "Oops, my mistake..." Cagalli lightly laughed, while scratching the back of her head.

_Blabs...blab...blab..._

"Ah!" the representative emerged from the water to catch some air. "Are you planning to drown me?!" He glared at the blonde, eyes narrowed and fists clenched.

Cagalli stuck out her tongue. "I couldn't help it, Kira," she said. "Anyway, I'm glad that I got you wet now."

"But I'm not..."

"Gosh you're so cranky today!" scowled Cagalli, as she scratched her head. "The pressure of work must be really getting to you."

"Gee, what do you think?" Kira said, part vexed and part sad.

"Cheer up, Kira! Did you forget? We came to the beach to have some fun and not to think about work."

"You're right," replied Kira. Suddenly, he dipped his hands into the water and splashed the water right at Cagalli.

_Splash!_

"I got you!" Kira winked an eye before he ran away to avoid Cagalli's retaliation.

"Kira, you come back here." Cagalli went after her brother.

Grabbing his sun glasses, Athrun lay down on the mat. When he was about to close his eyes, he heard Jean calling out his name. He sat up and saw her approaching together with Kai, Miriallia, and Stellar.

"It's about time you guys got here," said Athrun, revealing a smirk.

"Sorry we're late, Nii-san," Jean replied. She turned to view the sea as the wind blew through her hair. "The breeze is good." She breathed in deeply.

Kai nodded his head, brushing his orange hair at the same time. He used to be a brunette, but he dyed his hair orange because he just felt like it. "And the sun is just right. This day is really perfect." He put down his bag and sat down beside Athrun. "Where's the princess and her brother?" he asked.

Athrun gladly pointed to the twins. As Kai turned his head at them, he saw both of them fell into the water.

"What the heck are they doing?"

Miriallia answered, "Isn't it obvious, Kai? Cagalli and Kira are playing." She giggled.

"And it looks like they're having fun," added Stellar. "I want to join them." Stellar immediately dropped her bag and went to them.

"Huh? Stellar, wait for me!" shouted Jean, sounding like a cute little girl. "Nii-san, take this!" She threw her bag at Athrun and went after Stellar.

"Hey, Jean!" yelled Athrun, but Jean didn't even hear him. "Do I look like a baggage counter to her?" he mumbled along with some curses.

Miriallia and Kai laughed.

Miriallia muttered, "You're her big brother after all."

"Well, I'm used to her. She's always like that to me." Athrun lay down and placed his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes as he knitted a smile on his face.

_ORB Military Headquarters_

A shuttle carrying the PLANT Supreme Chairman and his bodyguards has just arrived in ORB. As Rey, Shinn and Dearka exited the shuttle, they were greeted by the soldiers of ORB and the representative himself.

"It's good to see you again, Rey." Kira extended his hand to shake hands.

Rey shook hands with him and said, "The feeling is the same, Kira-sama. How are things going here in ORB?"

Kira replied, "Of course, ORB is doing fine as usual."

"Well, the same goes for PLANT as well."

"Come on," Kira said while showing the way, "let's continue our talk inside."

"Sure."

As Rey walked off, Dearka and Shinn followed, but they were stopped by Kira.

"What is it, Representative?" Shinn asked, looking perplexed.

"Shinn, Stellar is waiting for you at the lounge," Kira said before he turned his head at Dearka. "And Miriallia is waiting for you at the Hangar." He revealed a cunning smile.

"Stellar is..." Shinn muttered slowly.

"Is Miriallia really..." Dearka's eyes grew wide with excitement. He clenched his right hand and raised it up. "Miriallia's here and is waiting for me! I can't believe this!" He turned to Kira and asked, "Where's the hangar again?"

Kira pointed at the structure to his left.

"Thank you, Representative!" Dearka said before he took off in an instant.

Shinn was having doubts about seeing Stellar. Of course, he missed Stellar so much, but he was growing a little shy.

"So Shinn, aren't you going to Stellar?" Kira asked, wondering why Shinn looked troubled.

"What should I tell her when we meet? I don't know what to say."

Kira patted his shoulder to calm him down. "Shinn, just go and talk to her. Greet her and ask her about her life."

"If you say so," he replied politely.

_Hangar_

Reaching the place, Dearka felt thrilled to see the girl of his dreams again. Well, he sees her almost everyday via internet but that didn't satisfy him. Seeing the real thing was a lot different. Now, he was given the biggest opportunity of his life. He didn't want to blow this one.

He walked into the Hangar composedly but nervously. As he reached the area where the mobile suits were, somebody tapped his shoulder. He quickly spun on his heels and faced the person who was none other than Miriallia Hawe.

"Miriallia!" exclaimed Dearka, looking surprise.

"It's nice to see you personally again, Dearka." Miriallia smiled at him.

"Miriallia, I... Um..." He stuttered. Because of his nervousness, he didn't know what to say to her. He scratched his head and laughed a little to rid of the baffling feeling he felt.

"Are you all right?" Miriallia asked, raising one eyebrow at him. "You don't seem too happy to see me." She crossed her arms.

"It's not like that!" Dearka retorted. "Actually, I'm really happy to see you again." His cheeks flushed red when he said that.

"Are you telling me the truth?" Miriallia sounded harsh. She placed her hands on her waist, while she looked at him seriously.

"Of course, I am." Dearka grew more nervous as he looked at her eyes. Miriallia was a bit scary for him.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said, returning a smile on her face.

"So, Miriallia, are you free today?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Wanna hang out with me?" Dearka asked, hoping she would say yes.

"Sure, I would love to." Miriallia answered.

"All right!" shouted Dearka, raising his fist up high, as he showed a big smile.

"You haven't changed a bit, Dearka." Miriallia giggled.

_Lounge_

Shinn stepped into the lounge, looking like a nervous wreck. He still didn't know what to say to Stellar when he sees her. His heart pounded rapidly as he thought more and more of her. He hoped he wouldn't say anything stupid to embarrass himself. That was the last thing he would want to do.

"Shinn, you're here!" a cheerful voice boomed from behind him, which almost gave him a heart attack. Shinn quickly backed away and leaned against the wall while holding his chest. "Um… Are you all right, Shinn?"

Shakily, he turned his head at Stellar and raised his hand slightly. "H-Hi there… Nice to see…y-you a-again…" he stuttered. His heart was beating more furiously this time because of the shock.

"It's nice to see you too," Stellar replied, looking innocently and cutely as ever. She approached the young coordinator and held his hand. "Do you want to stroll around the city? I could show you the arcade. Do you even like arcades?"

Shinn blushed like crazy seeing her holding his hand. Tension rising, he wasn't able to say a word. Instead, he replied her with a simple nod of the head.

"Great!" She pulled his arm and cuddled it. "Let's go!" she said out loud.

"Um…yeah…" His face was steaming up due to the fact that his arm was against Stellar's chest. He didn't know if he could finish the day together with Stellar without him messing up.

_ORB Parliament House_

As the two young leaders stepped out of the limo, the princess of ORB greeted them with a warm smile. She had also missed Rey a lot and she had been looking forward spending some time with him. Rey was, after all, one of her most treasured friends.

"Rey, it's been a while," Cagalli said, as she approached the blonde chairman.

Rey paused for a moment to gaze upon the princess who was wearing something unusual. She was wearing light green blazer with short sleeves, a white loose mini-skirt, and sneakers. He was pretty amazed with her attire. "You look very cute. Are you going out or something?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah…"

"With Athrun Zala I presume…"

"Nope!" She raised her hand and pointed a finger towards him. "With you!"

"Huh? What are you saying?"

"You're going out with me whether you like it or not!" She sounded more demanding than usual.

"But I have an important matter to discuss with Kira-sama and I—"

Cagalli shook her head furiously and glared at him. "No buts! You don't get to visit ORB everyday! This is the right time to relax and enjoy!" she uttered, putting her fists on her hips.

Rey looked at Kira with concern, hoping that he would stop Cagalli. However, Kira was smiling at him, which was very suspicious. "Don't tell me you plan on…"

Kira nodded. "Yup! Go have fun you two!" He waved his hand as he went inside the mansion.

"No way…" the blonde chairman sighed in defeat. He turned to look at Cagalli who was getting impatient. From his personal experience, he should not keep Cagalli waiting any longer. "Where do you want to take me?" He sounded depressed, but deep inside he was happy to be with Cagalli.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: Okay, there you have it, the sequel of Love Fulfilled. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. It's quite short. I don't have to reveal everything in the first chapter. Please do review and no flaming.


	2. A Fateful Meeting with Two Angels

JC: I got some pretty sweet reviews on my first chapter. Thanks so much for it. This chapter took a while since I was kinda busy with school. Now that it's here, please go on and read. I hope you'll like chapter 2.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Gundam SEED Destiny. I want to own Cagalli-sama, though.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 02: A Fateful Meeting with Two Angels

An important meeting was going to take place in the main conference room of the ORB Parliament House. Kira Yamato was already in the said room, preparing his laptop and papers, which included the reports and status of the ORB Military. Seated at the front-center of the room, Kira browsed through the names of leaders who were going to attend the meeting. He checked them one by one and noticed that they were all so older than him. Well, it was a fact that most leaders of the world were geezers. Some so-called wise and intellectual leaders thought of him as an immature child who wasn't fitted to lead ORB. However, Kira proved them wrong with his determination and skills. He became a great leader and everyone in ORB respected him.

Speaking of respect, the people also had high respects for his sister, Cagalli. She was a strong-willed girl and was capable enough to be a good leader for a country. Sometimes he wondered what ORB would be under Cagalli's leadership. He thought about it for a while. "I guess things will run smoothly like today," he whispered to himself, as he held his chin.

The young prince looked at his watch, realizing that it was already time for the meeting. In an instance, he heard footsteps from outside. He knew that it was the leaders from different countries.

As the doors were opened by two ORB soldiers, the leaders came in together with their advisors, secretaries, and assistants. Each one of them took their seats and stayed quiet until everyone was ready.

Kira glanced from one leader to another, thinking that his expectation of having old geezers for leaders was true. He felt kinda awkward to be the only young one there. Well, Rey Za Burrel was also there and others…

Before he was going to speak, his amethyst eyes caught sight of something unusual. Two young girls about his age were sitting at the chairs at the far right of the second row. They seemed too young to be leaders so he thought they were assistants or secretaries or something like that. Putting them aside, he set his mind back on the meeting. First of all, he greeted his fellow leaders properly and respectively. Next, he introduced various news and updates about the ORB Military and the Nation of ORB itself. After he was done with his explanation, he asked the leaders if they have any concerns on the matter he presented.

The girl with the pink-ponytail and clear crystal blue eyes stood up and looked at Kira with a gentle smile. She was oh-so-beautiful and seemed so nice. She was wearing a black and dark violet kimono-type outfit and long gloves. "Representative Yamato, I am the daughter of Siegel Clyne, the leader of Scandinavia. My name is Lacus Clyne. I am here today in behalf of my father."

He couldn't believe what he just heard. All along he thought the girl as a mere secretary or assistant, but he never actually expected her to be the daughter of a great leader. No wonder her clothes were also elegant, he thought. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Lacus Clyne. What is your question?"

"This is regarding about ORB's continuous aid to the ZAFT Military. Your country is, nevertheless, supplying more resources for ZAFT to increase the production of Mobile Suits and ships." The pink-haired girl explained clearly, despite having a gentle voice. She spoke so confidently that Kira was a bit amazed by her.

"Yes, ORB is in good terms with the ZAFT Military."

Lacus Clyne continued with her speech, explaining everything with importance and understanding. She was obviously a woman of passion and kindness. She was a pacifist and possessed a great deal of beliefs. The more she spoke about her ideals, the more Kira got interested in her. She had proven to be the genuine daughter of Siegel Clyne.

"I understand your concerns, Miss Clyne," Kira replied, as Lacus finished her statement, "but rest assured for I won't let any conflict arise. I take full responsibility of the military movements between ORB and ZAFT."

Rey nodded his head in agreement. He knew he also had the same responsibility as Kira and he had to make sure that nothing goes wrong within the military.

"All right, I understand," Lacus said, putting up a smile before taking a seat.

"Now that's cleared up, are there more questions?" Kira asked, glancing around the room.

The leaders and their assistants whispered to themselves. Each of them had concerns regarding their own country and Kira was obliged to answer them.

"Representative Yamato," a female voice called the brunette.

Kira quickly turned to the girl sitting beside Lacus Clyne. She had long-flowing red hair and her dazzling eyes were dyed in bluish-gray color. Unlike Lacus' kind expression, hers had an aggressive one, yet she was still beautiful. As for her outfit, she was wearing a pink Earth Alliance Uniform, a black skirt, thigh-high green stockings, and the standard boots. _Don't tell me she's a leader as well… _

"I also would like to question you," she said, taking her stand. Her eyes looked pretty serious and slick. "Before that, let me introduce myself—I am Fllay Alster and I am the daughter of Vice Foreign Minister George Alster."

Kira's eyes widened. "You are the Vice Foreign Minister's daughter?" he muttered. "I have heard so much about you. You are part of the Earth Alliance Military and you even have the rank of Commander." He sounded impressed when he said that.

"Yes, I am. Now, going back to my question…" Fllay Alster put up a strong front. She was also full of confidence and she possessed a strong aura.

The first was Lacus and then it was Fllay. These two girls gave such good impressions on the young representative. And for some reasons, Kira became interested in them like he wanted to get to know them better.

The meeting went on for two hours. Every leader had the chance to speak up and Kira entertained them properly and provided them with the necessary answers. Kira was doing well as the representative and the others admired him greatly, especially the two young girls who only came to substitute their fathers.

After the meeting, Kira retired to his office and sat down on a couch with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was certainly drained and his head was suffering from a serious headache. He breathed in deeply and exhaled to help him relax. He glanced at his desk, noticing that there were papers piled up again. Even though the meeting was over, he still had work to do. This was his life as the Head Representative of ORB.

He headed towards his desk and picked one of the papers. He took one look at it and sighed. For once, he wished he had somebody doing the hard work for him. Well, the only one who can replace him was none other than his sister. It was an option for him. However, he knew that Cagalli was also busy working in the military as the Commander-in-Chief. "Cagalli is doing her part and I have to do mine as well."

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" asked Kira, placing his cup on the table.

"It's Fllay Alster and Miss Lacus Clyne. We came to see you, Representative Yamato," the strict yet casual voice of Fllay answered.

_The two of them? _He wondered what those two wanted with him. Maybe they wanted to discuss much further things with him. "Please come in…"

Fllay opened the door and went in as Lacus followed. They presented themselves before the representative and greeted him courteously.

"I hope we're not disturbing you, Representative," Lacus said, clasping her hands together.

Kira shook his head. "Not at all…" He brought the two girls to the couch and let them sit down. He then sat down on the couch across them and faced them with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"My father, Vice Foreign Minister Alster, wishes to speak with you in private. He's inviting you to come over to Josh-A, the main headquarters of the Alliance, to speak with you. He said it was an important matter." Fllay spoke up first with a serious tone. She still held her strong face, though it seemed that she was only forcing herself.

"All right," replied Kira. "When do you want this?"

Fllay clutch her skirt tight as her hands trembled. But her face still remained placid. She seemed to be hiding her true expression under a mask, and Kira had taken notice of it. "Next week would be fine, Representative. My father will send someone to escort you there."

Kira nodded. "I'll be expecting that." Afterwards, he shifted his eyes at the pink-haired girl and asked, "And how about you, Miss Clyne?"

"Actually…" Lacus brieftly stared at Fllay before turning to Kira. She rolled her eyes in a funny way as she placed a finger on her cheek. She gazed at Kira with a cheerful smile and said, "It's the same thing. My father also wants an audience with you."

"Huh? What exactly do you mean?" Kira raised an eyebrow.

"My father wants to discuss something important to you, Representative Yamato. Since Miss Fllay Alster already asked first, then my father has to wait."

Kira was starting to have a strange feeling about this. Why would two girls have the same motive? Nevertheless, since they were the daughters of respective leaders, he had to go. "I can speak with your father the day after I speak with Miss Alster's father."

"That's fine," Lacus said, clasping her hands together happily.

As the two girls left, Kira sat down in front of his desk and sipped his coffee. The two girls really made an impression on him. Not only were they beautiful, they were also nice. He pretty much doubted Fllay's personality. He was able to see through her somehow. He could see that Fllay was also a gentle girl. As for Lacus, Kira thought of her as an angel with a radiant smile.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: There you have it! I've introduced Fllay and Lacus into the story. It's obvious that there's going to be a love triangle here. I'm so sorry if Cagalli wasn't here. I promise that there will be AsuCaga scenes in the next. Oh, I'm also going to introduce another character. He's going to be Athrun's new rival. Make sure to watch out for it! Please review and no flaming.


	3. A Mysterious Encounter

JC: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. Here's chapter 3 everyone! I'm gonna introduce a new character here. Let me give you a hint. He's a guy and he has orange hair. Nope, he's not Heine or my OC, Kai. Just read to find out.

Disclaimer: Please don't sue me because I can't afford to get a lawyer. I've said it before a thousand times, I don't own this series!

* * *

**Entwined Hearts **

Phase 03: A Mysterious Encounter

Things were pretty busy at the ORB Military Headquarters because of the arrival of the new mobile suits and weapons. The soldiers, mainly the superiors and the chief engineers all went to the hangar to check up on the new suits. They also had to see it to that everything was in order. Of course, Kira was one of the superiors here.

He wasn't supposed to check up on the suits, as it was the job of his beloved twin sister. But Cagalli insisted him on giving her the day off to have a date with Athrun. He couldn't resist his sister's request, or should he rather say, demand. It was such a drag for him. It was supposed to be his day off too. He couldn't do anything about it now since he was already at the hangar.

"I'm gonna get back at her someday," he mumbled, catching the attention of the soldier standing beside him.

"I beg your pardon, sir," the soldier said since he didn't get to understand what Kira just said.

Kira quickly turned to the guard and shook his head. "I-It's nothing." He walked off ahead, thinking that he should get his job done as soon as possible.

_Downtown_

The music video of Nami Tamaki played in the huge flat-screen TV on a building. There was a cheery mood in the city, as the different people consciously and unconsciously listened to the music. The song was 'Realize' and it was one the best hits by the popular singer.

The blonde princess watched the screen, carefully admiring the graceful moves of the pop star as she danced and sang. Cagalli was wearing a sky-blue tank top with the word 'Energy' printed on it, white plain shorts, and blue-white skater shoes to complete her summer-look. She also wore a white cap and sunglasses on to hide her face from the public. She didn't want to get chased around by a mob of screaming fans. Speaking of fans, she wondered how Nami Tamaki handled her fans. Cagalli had to admit that being a pop star was great. She sighed deeply as she turned to the man beside her. She could see how focused he was on the screen as well. She didn't want to disturb him but she wanted to ask him a certain question.

"Um… Athrun, do you have a thing for pop stars?" she asked.

Athrun was wearing an ordinary white polo-shirt, denim pants, and black shoes. As usual, he was escorting Cagalli around the city as a bodyguard and a good fiancé. "Stars?" he repeated as he turned to her. "Well, no… I'm not a big fan of any star."

"We're basically the same. I'm not a fan of Nami Tamaki, but I just love her music."

"Cagalli, why don't you try singing?" suggested Athrun, throwing a smile at her, "I'm sure you have a lovely voice. Come on, sing for me."

Cagalli violently shook her head and said, "No way! I don't do singing."

"Please sing for me," pleaded Athrun, giving her a sincere look that was so tempting. "I want to hear your voice."

She averted her eyes away from him and crossed her arms. "NO!! NO!! NO!!" she uttered. She was being serious at this. She didn't want to sing. "I was raised as a soldier and not a singer! Got that?" She shot Athrun a dangerous glare.

The blue-haired knight felt a bit afraid of this. He knew how scary she can be when angry. But he desperately needed to hear her sing. After a moment of thinking, he had thought of a way to make the blonde sing. "Cagalli, if you're not going to sing, I'll reveal your identity to the people around." Athrun grinned mischievously.

"You wouldn't dare!" she boomed, clenching her fist at Athrun.

"I'm serious, Cagalli."

"Fine! I'll do it! I'll sing a song for you!" It wasn't her style to give in just like that. But if she didn't comply with Athrun, she would be crowded by fans right away. "Just let me sing in a place where there's no one around."

"Sure thing," the coordinator replied, taking Cagalli's hand. He dragged her away to the park and hid behind some trees. "Is this place okay?"

Cagalli looked around to see if there were any people around. Thankfully, they were the only ones there. She turned her head back at Athrun, worried that she might screw up in singing. Like she said before, she was raised as a soldier. But Athrun had this keen look in his eyes and Cagalli couldn't possibly disappoint him. She inhaled deeply and exhaled. She spun on her heels to face Athrun and adjusted her voice. When she was ready, she started singing her song.

_haruka naru kaze no koe umare kuru chiisa na tane wa_

_mada aoi hane hiroge oozora e maiagari_

_niji wo koe kumo wo koe chizu naki tomoshibi no tabi_

_kaze wo shiri ame wo shiru_

_tsubasa ga yogoretemo koko kara tada tobitai_

_dakara subete no kodou yo_

Athrun smiled widely, impressed at the singing of his fiancée. His hunch about her having a great voice was true. Sure, she may have a tough and unruly voice, he thought, but her singing voice was very feminine. It was soothing for his soul. He stayed silent and continued listening.

_dakishimeta omoi wo toki hanatsu sekai e_

_maiorita kimi wa feel like a precious rose_

_suna no umi ni saku hana hitotsu_

_teritsukeru taiyou ni unadarenai sono hana wa_

_kore kara no michi wo yuku daiji na kimi no tomoshibi_

_ashiato wa tsumibukaku sajin no iro wo someteku_

_honmono no sono wa doko?_

_koe wo age nobashita te ni fureteita kiseki no me wa_

_omoigakenai katachi ni_

He was about to clap his hands to cheer for her, but someone beaten him to it. He heard clapping sounds coming from behind him, which caused Cagalli to stop. The both of them directed their eyes on the unsuspecting person.

"And who might you be?" Cagalli asked, placing a fist on her hip.

The person was a guy with a messy orange hair. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a lion logo on the left chest part. He had brown-loose pants and red-orange sneakers. He held a smile on his face as his eyes were focused on the blonde princess. He took a few steps forward and bowed his head slightly. "I'm Rusty Mackenzie," he stated. He lifted his head and approached Cagalli. "I was just passing by when I heard your beautiful voice. You sing quite well."

Cagalli couldn't help but blush at his compliment. It was the first time, other than her brother, to hear a guy compliment about her voice. Well, no one in ORB knew she could sing. She was even oblivious to the fact that she can sing. "Err… Thanks…" she muttered.

Rusty stared at her for a while as if he wanted something from her. He had a smile on his face, a genuine warm smile. He reached for her face with his right hand and caressed her cheek.

"What the—" Athrun felt like throwing an insult at the guy. However, he knew how to calm himself down and handle the guy properly. He wasn't the type to go on a rampage just because the guy was touching his fiancee's cheek.

On the other hand, Cagalli was shocked to have a guy, which she had just met, touch her. She would usually get all flustered and shout at the guy, but she didn't feel like doing anything. His touch was actually soothing her.

Not taking this sweetness for another second, Athrun grabbed the Rusty's wrist, went in front of Cagalli, and shot a glare at the guy. "You were too close for comfort," he said seriously, releasing his wrist.

Rusty laughed a bit. "Uh… Sorry about that, man," he said without any hints of nervousness. "It seems like I got carried away. You can't blame me, though, because this girl is hot." He glanced back at Cagalli, winking an eye, and turned back at Athrun who twitched his eyebrows a little.

"You can't just flirt with another guy's girl." Athrun was being protective and jealous at the same time.

"Oh, she's already yours? Too bad…" Rusty inserted his hands in his pockets and spun on his heels. "I thought you were only a mere bodyguard tagging along with her."

Cagalli's and Athrun's eyes widened after he said that.

Rusty turned his head slightly towards them and smirked. "You guys think I didn't know? From the very start, I know that she's Princess Cagalli Yula Athha. I'm actually a fan of the princess, which is why I was trying to get cozy with her." He giggled as he took a few steps forward. "I'll see you again soon, princess." With that, he ran off in a hurry and disappeared from sight.

"Weird guy," Cagalli muttered, removing her glasses. "Rusty Mackenzie was it?" She turned to Athrun who seemed to be pissed off. He was clenching his fists hard and he was gritting his teeth. Ah, jealousy can do much to a guy, she thought and smiled. She placed a hand on his shoulder and told him to relax.

"Oh, sorry about that…" said Athrun, taking a deep breathe. "He was so…"

"He was just an admirer, Athrun. Remember, you're my fiancé now."

Athrun smiled back at her and nodded. "Yeah, I know…"

Cagalli put on her sunglasses back and held Athrun's hand. "Come on, let's go! We have the whole day to ourselves." She giggled and pulled Athrun along with her.

As they walked out of the park, Rusty pried on them like a spy. He had a malicious grin on his face as his eyes were set on the blonde princess.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: That's it for now. The new character here is Rusty Mackenzie. He's really a character from the series. He died in Episode 1 of Gundam SEED and he was one of Athrun's companions. He's Athrun's rival in this story. Well, I would like to see some reviews and no flaming.


	4. A Surprise Arrangement

JC: I'm up and running with my school requirements. It's a miracle that I am still able to write fanfictions. This chapter will probably add some more flavors to the plot. Remember the meeting Fllay and Lacus arranged for Kira? Please read and find out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED!!!

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 04: A Surprise Arrangement

Athrun was driving through the open streets of ORB in his flashy black car, which would make any car fanatic drool. He was clad in black shirt, over-coated with a crimson jacket, and black pants. His emerald-green eyes lay hidden behind his sunglasses, but his striking looks still dazzled the females as he passed by them. For being the fiancé of the ORB Princess, he had gained popularity in the city and practically more admirers than before. He used to have fan girls stalking him during his school days and military training days. But none of them had ever captured his heart. The only girl forever in his eyes was Cagalli Yula Athha.

He pulled over at a café where he was supposed to meet some of his friends. He stepped into the café and got stares from all over the place. The female population there was extremely happy to see the dashing Zala. Whispers boomed from here and there and got louder every second. He even heard a guy whispered something about him being not worthy for Cagalli. It kinda pissed him off, but he decided to leave him. He wasn't the type of guy to cause trouble anyway.

He walked passed some tables and smiled at the girls waving at him. He approached a certain table where 4 men were seated. "Sorry if I took so long," he said, looking apologetically.

A silver-haired guy shrugged as he narrowed his icy blue eyes at Athrun. "You slowpoke! We were supposed to meet an half an hour ago!" he uttered.

"Yzak, settle down," a blonde guy with the tan skin told his best friend.

"Shut up, Dearka! You were late too!"

Dearka laughed nervously as he turned to Athrun. "Hey… Sorry if he's such a hot-head." After saying that, he felt someone giving a death glare. He slowly turned back at Yzak and faced his furious eyes. "Hey, chill man…"

"Now that we're all here," another blonde guy spoke and stood up. He had this stoic expression that was able to catch some attention from the girls. "Let's go…"

"Where to, Chairman?" a black-haired person with fierce crimson eyes teased, as he smirked.

The Chairman, otherwise known as Rey Za Burrel, glanced over his shoulder to look at Shinn. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that here, Shinn?" He was offering one of his scary glares.

Shinn snickered and nodded. "Yeah… I know…" He stood up and slid his hands into his pocket. "So, we guys are going to hang out for the whole day, huh?" He sighed in disappointed.

"Shinn, don't be so selfish. Stellar-san deserves a day-out with the girls," Rey told him, knowing the reasons behind his sigh.

Dearka's lips curved into a smile as he eyed the red-eyed coordinator mischievously. "Oh… So that's why you weren't so keen with this boys-hang-out," he said.

Shinn's face turned bright red since it was all true. He wanted to have a date with Stellar, but it wasn't granted. Instead, he had to date with 4 men and one of them had a temper like him. He slipped away from the table and turned his back against them to hide his blush. "Are we going or not?!" he grumbled.

Athrun understood Shinn's feeling because he wanted do the same thing. Of course, he had planned to go out with Cagalli, but the blonde girl already planned to hang out with her friends. He wasn't selfish enough to have Cagalli all to himself. He knew Cagalli had spent less time with her friends since she got engaged to him.

He patted Shinn's shoulder before passing him. He turned his head slightly at the unruly guy and presented a smile. "We have the whole day to ourselves. We can't waste time here, right?"

"Whatever…" Shinn rolled his eyes.

"How about we hit the arcade first?" Dearka suggested, beaming with excitement. "It's been a long time since I last played a game."

"What are you—15?" Yzak muttered, crossing his arms. "But your idea is not that bad." He also wanted to go to the arcade, but he didn't want to admit it.

Rey nodded in agreement. "Then the arcade it is."

At the other side of town, a particular group of girls clad in the latest trends of fashion strolled down the streets. Two girls were blonde, one had honey-brown hair, and the last one had flaming red hair. With the bags in their hands, anyone can see that they have done a round of shopping. Sets of eyes stared at them from everywhere. Some boys even whistled at them due to their hotness and some boys passing by greeted them with malicious smiles and eyes.

"This getting annoying," Cagalli pointed out, noticing the stares from the guys around. She was wearing a sporty outfit, which included a cherry colored tank-top, white mini-short with a rose print on the left lower part, and white sneakers. She knew that her outfit would gain some attention that she didn't want in the first place. She just hoped that none of them would go fan-mode and start asking for her autograph. It was a good thing that she can hide herself with her sunglasses and a white cap.

Jean, the red haired young Zala, tugged on the princess's hand and smiled. "Ignore them, Cagalli-sama," she said, her emerald-green eyes sparkling. She wore a fitting black shirt with 'Danger' printed on it, denim hip-hugger pants, and white sneakers. She also wore skull bracelets and an occult pendant.

Fascinating how Jean's eyes always reminded Cagalli about Athrun. Well, Jean was Athrun's sister of course and it was only natural that she would be reminded of Athrun. "Yeah, I know. I should be happy that no one here knows me except for you three. And just call me Cagalli!" She looked at Jean, as she smiled, before she turned to her other companions.

"Just keep those glasses on at all times, Cagalli," Miriallia said, walking in front of them. She was dressed in a green haltered top, white mini-skirt, and silvery sandals. "Okay now, how about we get some ice cream?" She happily pointed a finger at the ice cream shop right across the street.

The second blonde girl smiled widely and nodded her head in a cute manner. "I love ice cream!" She clutched onto Miriallia's right arm and started pulling her. She was dressed in a blue tube blouse that revealed her belly-button, low-waist denim shorts, and a multi colored sandals.

"Stellar, woah!" Miriallia uttered, almost tripping.

Jean and Cagalli giggled and followed them to the ice cream shop.

As the group entered the shop, they were greeted by the warm smile of a carrot-head guy. Cagalli immediately acknowledged the guy. It was the same guy she met at the park, the guy who touched her and complimented her singing. It was Rusty Mackenzie.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cagalli, getting confused looks from her friends.

"This is a pleasant surprise," Rusty said, smiling, as he knelt down before the princess. He took hold of her hand and kissed it gently. "It's nice to see you again, princess."

Jean, Miriallia, and Stellar gasped in surprise to see such actions. Furthermore, they wondered how the guy recognized Cagalli since she was wearing her glasses and cap. Well, so much for hiding her identity.

"You… You're that guy umm…" Cagalli placed a hand on her head. "Rusty, am I right?"

Rusty stood up and smiled at her. "Yes, that's right. I'm quite flattered that the princess remembers me."

Stellar couldn't hold her curiosity any longer and decided to ask Cagalli about Rusty. "How come you know him? Is he your friend?"

"Huh? Well, that's—" She blinked several times as she faced Stellar. She was lost with her words.

"Friend? Oh no… The princess and I just met once in the park and that was all. We're not close enough to be friends."

"Okay then…" Stellar then took notice of his uniform. She looked at him again and smiled cheerfully. "Stellar wants a banana split topped with strawberry and vanilla flavored ice cream. I want cherries on top of the creams and don't hold back on the chocolate fudge," she said it in the cutest of faces.

Rusty laughed a little before taking his notepad and pencil out. "Will that be regular or large?" he asked.

"You work here?!" Cagalli, Miriallia, and Jean all asked at the same time.

"Ah—yes, as a matter of fact…" He thought they would've guessed it since they first saw him. He was wearing the uniform of the ice cream shop. "May I take your orders?"

The girls stared at each other for a moment before placing their orders.

_Alaska Josh-A (Earth Alliance HQ)_

It was the day when the young Representative Kira Yamato was going to meet with the daughter of the Vice-Foreign Minister, Fllay Alster. His mind kept wondering what she was going to discuss with him since it seemed pretty important. He thought that it was probably some word-for-word talk about the military equipment of ORB or maybe some new designs for Mobile Suits. Well, the only way he would figure out was by talking to her.

He arrived at the Josh-A base where he was greeted by a hefty amount of soldiers. They were all lined up before his aircraft, standing stiff, while they saluted. Kira, along with his bodyguard, Kai Kazuya, disembarked from the craft, and as he walked pass the soldiers, he also gave a salute. At the end of the line, he saw Fllay Alster and a man beside her. Kira recognized him to be Fllay's father, Vice-Foreign Minister George Alster.

"So good of you to come, Prince Kira Yamato of ORB," George Alster greeted him, his voice so firm.

Kira furrowed his eyebrows at the name 'Prince' but he didn't dare to comment it. Like Cagalli, he also hated being addressed as royalty. "Thank you for having me, Vice-Foreign Minister." He extended his hand to shake with the man.

George shook hands with him as he smirked. "You're very welcome." He then placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder and moved her forward a bit. "I know you already met my daughter, Fllay."

"It's nice to see you again, Representative," said Fllay, her voice so gentle unlike her father's.

"I feel the same way," Kira replied, showing a well-toothed smile that can melt any girl's heart.

"Prince Kira, what do you think for my daughter?" George asked, looking proudly, as he placed his hands on Kira's shoulders. "Isn't she a beauty?" His face had a big smug smile, which gave Kira the chills.

"Umm… Err… Y-yes, Fllay-san is really beautiful," he managed to say it respectfully, despite his weird feeling for the old man. But he did think of Fllay as a beautiful girl.

Fllay blushed at his comment and quickly lowered her head, causing her bangs to cover her eyes. "Thank you…" she muttered softly.

The father's smirk seemed to grow wider when he glanced at Fllay and Kira. He patted Kira's shoulder before spinning on his heels. "Why don't we talk in the meeting room?" he said, clasping his hands together behind him.

Kira regained composure and nodded. "All right…"

With George Alster leading the way, Kira, Fllay, Kai, and some soldiers followed him. During their walk towards the meeting room, Kai suddenly had a strange feeling about the Vice-Foreign Minister and his daughter. He didn't know why, but his heart was telling him to watch out for Kira.

The meeting room they entered was as big as the room back in the ORB. The soldier lined up around the table as the superiors seated themselves on the chairs. Kai positioned himself behind Kira just like any bodyguard would do and stared at the young girl who was feeling a bit uneasy. Kai wondered what was wrong with her, but he couldn't ask questions out of turn. Somehow, his strange feeling got even stranger.

"What is this important matter you want to discuss about, Vice-Foreign Minister?" Kira asked promptly, setting his elbows on the table.

George smirked widely as he cupped his chin with his hand. "You do know that genius scientist Ulen Hibiki was a very good friend of mine, am I right?" he started.

Kira just nodded at that fact.

"Before he passed away, we both made an agreement,"

"I didn't know that. What is the agreement?"

Fllay sank her head lower and bit her lip. It seemed she didn't want to hear what her father was about to say.

"If ever I had a child, be it a daughter or a son," George started, and Kai's eyes grew wide. Kai had finally guessed what the meeting was all about. He had strong senses for this sort of things. "My child will marry Ulen's child in the future."

Kira felt his heart skipped a bit as his jaw dropped open. "W-what?"

"Since I have a daughter here right now, she would marry Ulen's son," George continued. He looked at Kira kindly this time. "And that would be you, Prince Kira."

Kira and Kai swallowed hard, surprised to hear such statement, especially the brunette. He felt his world spinning and his heart pumping with anxiety. He getting married, he thought, was way too soon! He stood up, palms on the table, and said, "This is too sudden. I, for one—"

"Happy to have my daughter?" The old man Alster continued for him, though that wasn't what Kira had in mind. "I'm flattered, Prince Kira."

Fllay neither said a word nor budged from her seat.

"Vice foreign Minister… I-I…" Kira was trying to find the right words to get him out of this situation. He glanced at Kai with eyes screaming for help.

Kai smiled awkwardly and offered an apologetic look.

"Now, Fllay, why don't you and the Prince spend some quality time together?" George pleasantly asked his daughter.

When Fllay looked up at her father, she had tears in her eyes, which shocked Kira and Kai. She narrowed her gaze and gritted her teeth. "Oto-sama no baka!" she boomed before running out of the room.

"Fllay, come back here!" George shouted. He sank back into his chair and massaged his temple. "That daughter of mind is such trouble. I'm really sorry that you had to see that. Please don't think ill of her. She's actually a kind-hearted girl."

Kira's eyes softened. "I believe you. But what—" He sat back and faced the man seriously. "Why was she crying?"

George heaved a sigh. "Well, she is actually against this whole marriage arrangement."

_No kidding. I'm against it too, _Kira thought silently.

"However, I can't break my promise with Ulen. He was my friend."

Kira could see how sincere George was when talking about his father. He knew that a promise was important, but he also knew that marriage was a tough decision to make. He wasn't ready for it. He wasn't even ready to get engaged. Besides, he had a country to run, a sister to take care of, and some other businesses to attend. He has no time for a girlfriend, fiancée, or whatsoever.

"You know, I just want the best for my daughter. I don't want her getting hook up with some random guys I don't know," he explained, sighing once more. "If you would to be her husband, then I will have no regrets."

"But your daughter is against it," Kira reminded him as he also wanted to add _So am I_, but he wasn't mean. "I don't think Fllay-san would be happy if she would marry someone like me."

"Don't worry, Prince Kira," George assured, his lips curving into a smile. "She'll be happy in your hands. I'm sure of it. I know my daughter best."

Kira didn't know what else to say after seeing his smile. This was something he couldn't back out, since it was a promise made by two friends long ago. Maybe he could give it a shot. Who knows? He might fall in love with Fllay sooner or later. But these things take a lot of time and he bet that George wants him to marry his daughter right away. This was a lot pressure.

On the other hand, Kai fully disagreed with the arrangement. He held back his urge to complain about it, because it was improper for a soldier like him to talk there. But he swore to have a heart-to-heart talk with Kira when they board the aircraft again.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: An arranged marriage for Kira and Fllay! Kira/Lacus fans please don't jump to conclusions yet. I have yet to reveal Lacus's intentions here. Kira's meeting with Lacus is in the next chapter. And oh, Rusty will be there too and he's going to spend some time alone with Cagalli. What about Athrun? Please review and no flaming.


	5. A Surprise Arrangement Again

JC: Here's chapter 5. The last chapter took Kira by surprise. He is now engaged to the lovely Fllay Alster. What about Lacus? What are her intentions? Rusty is a suspicious character, right? He gets to spend some time with Cagalli here, as in ALONE! Go ahead and read.

Disclaimer: Cagalli-sama is my idol, but I don't own her or the series.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 05: A Surprise Arrangement Again

"I can't believe you're engaged! Wait till your sister hears about this, Representative," Kai teased, chuckling and shaking Kira. Over the months, he and Kira had become close friends. Whenever they were alone, Kai doesn't hesitate to joke around with the representative.

Kira was seriously not in the mood for some jokes. However, he wasn't in the mood to bicker with Kai either. He kept thinking about Fllay and his engagement to her. What has the world come to? He was the Head Representative of ORB and yet he couldn't even object to such an arrangement. What was he going to do? How was he going to tell Cagalli and the others? He was pretty sure that they'll be shocked.

"Hey, you know what?" Kai said, stopping his chuckling. "I'm not so keen with this arranged marriage thing. It's okay if you love Fllay Alster—whom you don't, I presume." He poked Kira's arm playfully in order to get his attention.

"I don't love her and I don't know if I can love her," Kira replied, slumping down. He ruffled his brown hair, feeling frustrated about himself. "Kai, this is so unfair."

"Life isn't always fair."

"You're not actually helping."

"What do you want me to do?"

"How about encourage me to walk up to the Vice-Foreign Minister and tell him that I don't want to marry his daughter?!"

Kai raised an eyebrow, thinking absurdly of the brunette. "There's no way I would do that. Plus, I'm not in the right position to ever say that."

"You're right…" Kira rested his elbows on his lap and rested his chin on his hands. "Might as well accept it."

"No can do, Kira!" Kai shot up, pointing an accusing finger at Kira.

"What?!"

"You're giving up way too easily, Kira! Don't tell me you're gonna force yourself to love her? That's wrong! Love isn't made like that!" The orange-haired soldier was already shouting at the top of his lungs, causing Kira to cover his ears.

"Pipe down, will ya?"

"Oh…erm…" He coughed twice and regained composure. "Sorry about that…"

"Anyway, I just hope my meeting with Lacus Clyne is not as heart-wrenching as this. I'm sure she'll want to talk about the political issues of our countries. I've heard about her charity projects from the news. She's also a pop-star idol." Kira rested his back against his seat.

"I've heard about her too from my buddies back at HQ. They're not her fans, I can assure you, since they're head over heels with Cagalli-san." Kai sat back, opened his laptop computer, and checked the profile of Fllay and Lacus. "Interesting…"

"What?" Kira looked at the screen and saw the two angelic faces of the girls.

"It says here that Fllay Alster is also a popular singer and she had starred in many movies. She's also an elegant dancer."

"I've seen two of Fllay-san's movies before. I have to say that it was very entertaining."

"Hey, I actually watched three."

"How about Lacus-san?"

Kai clicked on a link and went to the profile section. "Lacus Clyne is a star in PLANT. She participated in many charity works and political works. She is also described as an Angel due to her extreme kindness and gracefulness."

"These two girls are pretty unique."

"No kidding," said Kai, closing his laptop. Then an idea struck him. "Kira, what if Lacus Clyne's father will tell you the same thing?" he asked.

"Same thing? As in?"

"You know—the engagement thing."

Kira violently shook his head. "There's no way that will happen. I mean, come on, two girls with the same intentions? That would only happen in novels or stories."

"If you say so," Kai said, having a bad feeling once again.

_ORB Parliament House_

Someone was knocking at door of the Head Representative's office. Kira looked up from his paper work to the door and said, "Come in…" The door opened right away and there he saw his blonde sister. "Cagalli, what brings you here? I thought you had some work back at HQ."

Cagalli stomped over to his desk and slammed her palms on it. She glared at her brother with those furious amber orbs. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!!!" bellowed Cagalli, slamming her palms once again.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kira got pretty scared after hearing her.

"Kai told me! He told me everything!" She walked around his desk and pulled him up by the collar. "Why did you agree to it, Kira?!"

_That Kai… I told him not to tell Cagalli. I should be the one to tell her. _He sighed deeply. "Cagalli, I'm sorry. I was in a situation where I can't say no."

"I can't believe you!" The blonde released the brunette and turned around. "Kira, mind explaining things to me right now?"

He stared at her back, his eyes glowing with concern. If Cagalli was in his position, she could've done something about the engagement, he thought. Well, they were twins, but they were different in terms of personality. "Cagalli, I'm really sorry. What happened was…" He started explaining. After that, there was a long silence between them.

_Hangar _

"Don't get into trouble over there, okay?" Cagalli said to Kira.

The Head Representative was flying off to another important meeting. He was going to see Siegel and Lacus Clyne in the Scandinavia, a country decorated with richness and elegance. It would be his first time going there, so he was pretty excited. "I won't. Besides, I have Athrun with me."

Cagalli turned her head to the person beside her brother. "Athrun, make sure Kira will not make any stupid mistakes again," she said sarcastically, knowing it would annoy Kira.

Athrun let out a chuckle and nodded. "Sure, I'll do my best." He wasn't supposed to be the one escorting Kira to Scandinavia. It was actually Kai's work. But Cagalli insisted Kira to bring him along than Kai. That way, Cagalli would have nothing to worry about.

"Can I go now?" muttered Kira, his eyebrows twitching.

"Yeah, sure…" Cagalli replied with an I-don't-care tone.

"Fine… Let's go Athrun." Kira spun on his heels and walked towards the aircraft.

Athrun could sense a very pissed-off Kira. He also found out about his engagement to Fllay and frankly, he was quite surprised to hear it. He knew Kira's reason for accepting it was noble but also hasty. "Cagalli, is Kira really going through with it?" he asked.

"It will be hard, I'm sure." Cagalli shrugged, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But he told me that he's going to try his best to fall in love with Alster." She bit the nail of her thumb and grumbled something about Kira being an idiot.

He stared at the blonde for a while, knowing she was worried for her brother. To ease her troubles, he leaned forward and pecked on her cheek.

"A-Athrun!" Her cheeks flushed up in an instant, as Athrun laughed. "Don't do that here!" she uttered, looking around to see if anyone saw it. To her dismay, a lot of soldiers were giggling and whispering about the sudden kiss.

"Take care, Cagalli!"

"ATHRUN!" The moment she turned back at him, he was already climbing up the stairs to the aircraft. That was fast, she thought, clenching her fists. "You're going to get it when you come back," she said flatly, shooting him with a deadly glare.

"Um… Sorry?" was all he could say because he felt nervous seeing those eyes.

Athrun went into the aircraft to avoid her and sat down beside Kira.

Without further ado, the aircraft lifted off into the sky.

_Scandinavia_

It only took a few hours for the ORB aircraft to reach the said country. Upon arrival, mass amounts of guards dressed in a rather spiffy royal-type uniform were lined up along the landing area. Ten guards proceeded to the side of the aircraft and positioned themselves. They were all ready to greet the ORB visitors.

The Head Representative and his bodyguard descended the stairs, admiring how the soldiers stood. They were all trained with discipline and honor like any royal guards. If the guards were like this, they couldn't wait to see the soldiers.

"Welcome to our country, Head Representative Kira Yamato," a familiar pink-haired girl greeted them from insider her pink limousine. One guard opened the door and she quickly hopped off. She presented herself so elegantly before the brunette with a bow of her head. "Thank you for coming."

Kira was completely stunned by her. He looked at her from head to toe, getting a full grasp of what she was wearing. Lacus was clad in a white ball gown reaching to the ankles, made of luxurious fabric and decorated with silver beads and pink frills. In his eyes, Lacus was more of a princess than his sister. If Cagalli heard his thoughts, he was pretty sure she wouldn't mind it. She hated being called a princess anyway.

"Now let us go," Lacus said, smiling radiantly. "My father is waiting for you back at the mansion."

Strangely, Kira didn't budge or reply.

Athrun noticed the stunned expression on Kira's face. _What is going on with you? _He lightly hit Kira's arm with his elbow to bring him back to reality. "Representative Yamato, let's go. We mustn't let Siegel Clyne-sama wait any longer."

"Oh, that's right." He finally came to his senses. He looked at Lacus properly this time and bowed his head. "Thank you for having us."

Lacus giggled like a child and went into the Limousine first.

"Don't tell you're staring to fall for her?" Athrun whispered into Kira's ear before letting him enter the vehicle. "Can't have that, you know. You're already engaged." He reminded the brunette.

Kira silently blushed and shook his head. He hopped onto the limo and seated himself beside the pink-haired girl. Because of what Athrun said, his mind was whirled into a world of confusion and his cheeks still remained a little pink. He accidentally placed his hand on top of Lacus' as he breathed in.

"Oh, Representative…" Lacus muttered, looking at their hands.

"Eh?" Kira wondered what she wanted and saw her staring at something. He looked down and saw their hands together. "Ah! Sorry!" he said, blushing madly this time, as Athrun entered.

"No, it's okay." Lacus still retained her smile.

Athrun managed to see the whole thing and shot Kira some looks. _Kira, remember you're taken! _He wanted to say it out loud, but his eyes were enough to do the talking.

Kira nodded his head once and sighed.

_ORB Mansion _

The butler bowed his head and said, "Take care, Cagalli-sama." He raised his head and opened the door for her. "Have a safe trip."

"I'm heading off," said a blonde princess, as she walked out the door. Her car was already parked in front of the door and all her necessary things were inside. She was going to the ORB Military Headquarters for an important meeting with some superiors. Though she hated meetings, she needed to go. That was her job.

She started the engine and sped off to the gates. As the gates automatically opened, she spotted a familiar face lurking on the other side of the street. "That guy… That's…" Her eyes widened as she recognized him. "Rusty, hey!" She waved her hand.

Rusty responded immediately and waved back. "Princess, how are you?!" He ran across the street, nearly tripping, and approached the car. "I knew I would see you here. I came at a perfect time."

"What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to see your mansion. It's pretty big," he said, pointing at the large structure behind the gates.

"Is that the only reason why you're here? I doubt it."

"Well, the truth is," Rusty scratched his head, feeling nervous, "I was wondering if you would like to go out with me?"

Cagalli's eyes grew wide. "Pardon? What did you just say?"

"If you would like to go out with me?" Rusty repeated.

"Why?"

"Because I-I…" Rusty was having a hard time talking to her. His heart was getting the best of him. "Don't take this wrongly, okay? I know you're engaged and you're in love with Athrun Zala."

"Yes?"

"I just want to spend some time with you as a friend. I make it a habit to go out with my friends, especially girls. Oh wait, we're not friends yet." He chuckled, feeling stupid at the moment. At that rate, he was sure that Cagalli would not accept his offer.

"Okay."

"Ah-what?" Rusty got taken by surprise. "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"Are you deaf? I said okay," she replied.

"You sure?" A smile crept on his face.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Cagalli murmured, holding her temple. "Meet me at the park at 3 PM. I can't go right now because I have a meeting. Is that all right with you?" She looked at him, expecting a disappointed look, but she saw the opposite.

Rusty had a wide smug on his face and his eyes were shimmering with glee. "All right! I'll wait for you there!" He spun around and ran off, saying yes all the way. From the way he acted, he looked like a 10-year old boy.

"He's one outgoing guy," she said, stepping on the pedal. She sped away from the mansion in a fast speed. She stared momentarily at the sky and thought about what to do with him later. "He seems nice and kind. Since Kira and Athrun are not around, I don't need to bring a bodyguard."

_Clyne Mansion _

Athrun was now standing before the mansion, staring in awe. The mansion was as big as Kira and Cagalli's mansion back at ORB. From the designs, floorings, and materials, Athrun could say that it was almost similar to the ORB mansion, only it had more paintings and elusive artworks.

"If this is a meeting, why here in the mansion and not in an office?" the blue-haired coordinator asked the representative in a low voice. He was starting to have suspicions about Lacus and her dad.

As for Kira, he thought the mansion would be a good place for a meeting since there won't be any prying eyes around.

They arrived in the living room and they were served tea and biscuits that were personally made by Lacus. She asked them to try them as she offered some to Kira first.

Kira blushed lightly and took one biscuit. He ate it all in one bit since it was tiny. He took time to savor it in his mouth before he swallowed.

"How was it?" Lacus waited anxiously for his response.

"It was good. I mean, really delicious."

"My, I'm happy to hear that. I love making biscuits and cookies, and I love getting comments about them. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lacus cheerfully handed some of her treats to Athrun. "Here, have some as well," she said.

"Thank you," he said, leaning down to grab some, because he was standing behind the couch where Kira was seated.

"Why don't you sit down with us?" Lacus asked, patting the couch beside her.

Athrun plainly shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but it would be inappropriate for a soldier like me to join two political figures like you." He was demonstrating a fine attitude of a soldier.

Lacus was going to insist again when Siegel Clyne entered the living room. "Oh, father!" She stood up and gave her father a short hug. "Representative Yamato, this is my father, Siegel Clyne."

Kira stood up, as Athrun saluted. "Siegel Clyne, it's an honor to meet you."

"The young Kira Yamato," Siegel said, extending his hand to shake. "It's quite an honor to meet you as well."

All of them sat down and talked about their countries for a while. It seemed that things were going well and there were no hard problems in their respective countries. Next, the conversation shifted to Cagalli. Siegel Clyne has grown fond of Cagalli and always monitored her through the TV, news, and other media sources. The girl somehow amazed him like his daughter. He also bragged about some of Cagalli's and Lacus' skills as great celebrities.

Of course, being a brother, Kira was flattered from all the compliments Cagalli was getting. "My sister is probably in a meeting with the military heads right now," said Kira.

"Working as usual," Siegel continued. "Your sister is remarkable. Lacus also admires her, did you know that?" He placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Kira looked over at Lacus for confirmation. He received a slight nod from the girl, and he smiled in content. "I'm glad to know that."

_Cagalli is even popular here. _Athrun was also happy to hear such wonderful comments about his fiancée.

Siegel stopped his talking to look at the blue-haired soldier behind Kira. "Aren't you Athrun Zala who is currently engaged to the Princess?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," he answered promptly.

"I heard that he's one of your finest soldiers, Representative," Siegel told Kira.

Kira briefly glanced at Athrun before he answered the blonde man. "Yes, he's the best. I have no regrets giving my sister to him," he explained solemnly.

By the look on Kira's face, Siegel understood the deep love and care he possessed as a brother. Not only that, he could see it in his amethyst eyes that he trusted Athrun with all his heart. With that, he was now sure of his decision. "Representative Yamato," he called out, his voice sounding slightly serious.

"Yes?"

"Your biological mother, Via Hibiki, was a very good friend of mine," Siegel started, as Lacus lowered her head to stare at her hands on her lap. "I still remember those days when she used to give me her treats." He imagined the beautiful brunette woman in his head.

Athrun was suddenly struck with apprehension. Based on what Kai had told him, George Alster also started his conversation by stating that he was a good friend of Kira's parent. He just hoped it won't lead to any engagement or whatsoever.

Frankly, Kira was also feeling the same way as Athrun did. He brushed that feeling away and asked a question. "Can you tell me more about my mother?"

Siegel closed his eyes to get a better view of Via in his head. "She was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She has eyes so soft and loving that was dyed in amethyst, just like yours. She was very kind and gentle. She was a very close friend of mine." He opened his eyes to look at Kira.

"Thank you for telling me that," Kira said, smiling.

Siegel saw Via within him when he smiled. He had missed the woman so much. It was such a pity that she had to die. She was too good for such a death. Putting that thought aside, Siegel's expression turned a bit serious. "Representative, I made a promise to your mother," he said.

Somehow, Kira felt like he heard those words before. It was like a pattern. "What is it?" He was getting afraid of the answer.

Before Siegel Clyne spoke, Athrun had already realized what he was going to say. He was in the same situation as Kai before. _This is bad… _

"If Via and I would have a child that happens to be opposite in gender, then we would arrange them to be married in the future. Since Via had a son, which happens to be you, and I had a daughter…"

Kira's face turned pale and his fists trembled. He was beginning to sweat and his heart pumped way too fast. It was happening again—just like the time back at Josh-A.

"You and Lacus should be engaged…" Siegel finally finished explaining. He turned to his daughter, who gave him a contented smile, before he looked at Kira to see his reaction. He was vaguely surprised to see the brunette clutching onto the handles tightly. "Did I excite you too much?"

If it was possible, Kira wanted to pass out or to be hit by a Gundam.

Athrun kinda felt sorry for Kira. _This is a big problem. What should you do, Kira? _

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: Engagement no. 2. Kira is now engaged to two girls. Is that even allowed? Well, I planned to do some twists and turns every now and then. Rusty and Cagalli are going out in the next chatper. What will happen between them? Please leave some reviews and not flames.


	6. A Bet and a Kiss

JC: It's chapter 6 people! I thank you again for the wonderful reviews. I've also started writing a story in Gakuen Alice. Don't worry; I will never leave this story hanging. It's not my style. Besides, this series is my favorite!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or any of its characters. All rights belong to Sunrise.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 06: A Bet and a Kiss

Kira's face turned pale and his fists trembled. He was beginning to sweat and his heart pumped way too fast. It was happening again—just like the time back at Josh-A.

"You and Lacus should be engaged…" Siegel finally finished explaining. He turned to his daughter, who gave him a contented smile, before he looked at Kira to see his reaction. He was vaguely surprised to see the brunette clutching onto the handles tightly. "Did I excite you too much?"

If it was possible, Kira wanted to pass out or to be hit by a Gundam.

Athrun kinda felt sorry for Kira. _This is a big problem. What should you do, Kira? _

_This can't be happening. It just can't! _Kira screamed in his mind, mentally slapping himself and wishing it was all a dream.

How could the world be so cruel to him? He never did anything wrong. He was a good leader, a good brother, and a good friend. But why was fate doing this to him? It was so unfair. He wanted to scream and tell the world that his life was going down the drain at the very moment. However, he had to present properly before the leader of Scandinavia. He couldn't be rude, could he?

"Representative…errs… should I say Kira?" Siegel Clyne said, his lips curving into a smile. "Aren't you the lucky one? My daughter here is one of a kind, I must say." He laughed heartily, as he placed a hand on the pink girl's shoulder.

Lucky one? More like unlucky one… Kira sighed silently. He briefly turned to his blue-haired friend. "Athrun, I never thought…" he whispered.

Athrun gave him a concerned look. "It was unexpected, I guess," he said. "Anyway, you have to tell them that you're already engaged to Fllay Alster."

"You're right," the brunette replied sadly.

"Lacus, why don't you and Kira get to know each other?" Siegel asked his daughter.

"I would be glad to Oto-sama," Lacus replied in her ever gentle smile.

"Um… Excuse me," Kira started, hoping he wouldn't screw up his explanation. "I have something important to say." His face turned a little serious.

"What is it, Representative?" Lacus asked, tilting her head a bit to the side. She looked cuter that way.

"Lacus, you should start calling him by his name. You are engaged to him," Siegel told her, and Lacus just nodded.

"About the engagement," Kira continued, clearly possessing a hint of hesitation. "I'm sorry. I cannot be engaged to your daughter." He lowered his head a little.

"What?! Why?" Siegel was flabbergasted. No guy would be in the right mind to turn down such a tempting offer. His daughter was one of the finest girls in the country and yet, the infamous Prince of ORB turned her down. Something wasn't right. "May I know the reason, Representative?" He became formal with him again.

Lacus grimaced. She could see there was something wrong with Kira. She could feel it.

"I don't wish to go against my mother's promise," Kira said, clasping his hands together on his lap," but I'm already engaged to Fllay Alster."

Siegel gasped in surprise. "You mean the FLLAY ALSTER? Isn't she the daughter of Vice-Foreign Minister George Alster?"

Kira nodded in reply. He knew how much Siegel Clyne cherished the promise he made with his mother, but he couldn't afford to get into another arrangement. He already has a priority with Fllay and he planned to keep it that way. He was expecting some kind of retort or argument from the wise leader.

However, Siegel Clyne didn't not agrue, instead he laughed out loud but in a gentlemanly manner.

"What?" Kira raised an eyebrow, thinking if there was anything amusing about his explanation.

Athrun was getting some bad vibes again.

"That George," Siegel said in the midst of his laughter. "He beat me to you, huh?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?" Kira was getting confused at his actions.

"Kira, George and I were good friends with your parents. We all knew about the promises and we expected this to happen."

"Huh?"

"Listen carefully, Kira." Siegel composed himself and looked at Kira half-seriously. "George and I made a bet to see which of our daughters would win your heart."

"A bet?" Kira muttered, looking a bit annoyed. What was he, some kind of price in a gambling arena?

"Kira, both of us want you for our daughters. Let's see who will win your heart? Is it my lovely daughter Lacus?" Siegel held both Lacus' shoulders this time. "Or will it be the feisty young Fllay Alster?"

"This is…I don't know anymore…" Kira threw Athrun a pleading look. He wanted to get out and ran away from the country.

Athrun sighed deeply, giving him an apologetic look. He couldn't do anything to stop the leaders' decision.

_ORB Central Park_

It was exactly 3 PM.

Rusty was sitting on the bench by the fountain while tinkering with his cellular phone. Actually, he was playing a game and he seemed to be beating the level quite fast. He was clad in a sleeveless green shirt overlapped with a dark-green vest, and orange pants with a black belt around. He wore a dark green wrist band on the right and a silver bracelet on his left wrist. He looked extremely hot that the girls passing by couldn't help but stare at him. But he paid no attention to the gawking girls and continued to mess with his game.

A few seconds later, a blonde girl arrived at the park and approached Rusty. She stood before him and faked a cough to catch his attention.

"And I thought you would be late since most girls come late," said Rusty. He put away his phone and laid eyes on the girl. "Hey there, princess…" He smiled.

Yes, it was Princess Cagalli Yula Athha. She came as promised. She was dressed in a plain light-green fitted blouse, white Capri pants, and white sneakers. As usual, her looks were hidden under sunglasses and a white cap. "I'm not like most girls, you know," she snorted, placing a hand on her hip. "And don't call me princess. It's so annoying. I don't feel like a princess at all."

Rusty let out a snicker. "You're really different from the girls I know," he said.

"Yeah, whatever…" She rolled her eyes away. "So, what are we waiting for, a bus? I thought we were going to hang out." She was never the one with patience.

"All right." Rusty stood up and fixed his vest. "I parked my car in front of the park. Let's go there."

"Wait a minute," Cagalli said, crossing her arms. "Before anything, where are you planning to take me?"

"To the beach," he simply answered, walking pass her. He slid one hand into his pocket before turning his head back to her. "I have something good to show you, CA-GA-LLI."

A smile crept to her face. "It's always better to call me by name and not by some title." She went beside him and tugged on his vest. "Come on, let's go!" She started walking, dragging the poor Rusty along.

_For a princess, she sure is pushy. _Rusty giggled at the thought. Well, despite his position, he just let the blonde drag him all the way to his car.

_ORB Military HQ_

"KIRA-SAMA DID WHAT??!!!" Jean screamed over the video phone where her big brother's image was shown.

"Jean, settle down. You're overreacting," Athrun told his little sister.

"B-but… How can this be? Nii-san, Kira can't be engaged to two girls!" Jean had just gotten word from Athrun about the whole engagement and bet thing done by Siegel Clyne and George Alster. She didn't know whether to be mad at the two leaders or to be happy that Kira gets two beautiful ladies. Oh wait, she should feel sorry for the Representative! "Nii-san, where's Kira-sama right now?"

"He's in the guest room," Athrun replied, heaving sigh. "He said he wanted to be alone for a while. I can't blame him."

"Nii-san, how will Kira-sama explain this to his sister?" She suddenly pictured the blonde princess blowing like a volcano in front of the brunette.

"I don't know. He better be prepared."

"But I wonder," Jean muttered, resting her chin on her hand.

"What?"

"Which girl will Kira-sama choose? Lacus Clyne is a great singer and a sweet-loving girl, while Fllay Alster is feisty yet hot." Jean pondered about the two girls for a moment. "You know, I would choose Fllay-san for him. Fllay-san can definitely balance out Kira-sama's personality." She gave out a smug.

Athrun raised an eyebrow at her, thinking how absurd his sister can be at times. "Why do you look excited about this, Jean? Shouldn't you be against this engagement thing?" he grumbled.

"Hey, I'm just voicing out my own opinions!"

"It's not actually helping the situation."

Jean slammed her fist on the desk and glared at Athrun. "Nii-san, how about you?! I'm sure you can decide between the two of them! Come on, who do you think is better for Kira-sama?!" She was shouting way too loud.

Athrun covered his ear. "Pipe down, Jean! You don't have to shout. I can hear you loud and clear." He placed his hands down and looked at Jean's image on the screen. "I can't answer that, you know. It's up to Kira to decide."

"Tch… Nii-san, it's not so hard to choose."

"Whatever, Jean… I'm signing off now."

"Wait, Nii-san!" Before she could continue, Athrun had hung up and the screen went blank. "Nii-san, darn you!" She clenched her fists in irritation.

_Beach_

They were now strolling at the beach, by the seashore, as they admire the picturesque view over the horizon. Birds flew high up in the skies and the clouds were white and puffy. The sun wasn't too hot and the breeze was so refreshing. It was definitely a perfect day.

A perfect day indeed, Rusty silently thought, as he stole another glance at the blonde beside him. Upon their arrival at the beach, Rusty kept talking about his childhood memories to her. He was really amazed on how she listened to every single word that came out of his mouth. He was glad that she was a good listener. All along, he thought his stories were lame and boring. But seeing Cagalli so interested made him think otherwise.

"You played a prank on the teacher just to avoid getting a quiz?" Cagalli said.

"That's because I didn't study the night before. I had no other choice. I didn't want to get a low grade either, you know." Rusty explained nervously. He noticed how annoyed Cagalli looked after he told her about his poor teacher back in elementary. "Sorry for being a mischievous little brat before…"

"What are you saying?" Cagalli said, crossing her arms behind her back. "I think that was a great prank." She smirked.

Rusty's face lighted up. "Oh, really?"

"I used to play pranks myself. Hmm…maybe I'm still doing some right now…" She winked an eye at Rusty and smiled.

At that moment, he blushed in 10 shades of red. "Uh… Is that so?" He let out a chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. His heart was pumping way too fast for him to calm down.

"Anyway, why did you bring me here?" she asked, as she sat down on the soft sand.

"Like I said, I have something good to show you," he replied and sat down beside her.

She shrugged. "And what is that?" The moment she turned her head at him, Rusty leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. "Ahmm…?" Her amber orbs grew wide as marbles, as she felt his hot lips against hers. Rusty was kissing her, kissing her passionately that it almost felt so tempting.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: Should I run and hide now from the AsuCaga fans? Gulp… I guess so… WAH! Please forgive me! I'm really sorry! I just thought it would spark up the plot that's all. Oh, don't get mad at me. I'm just a humble writer with weird ideas coming out of my head. Rest assured, I'm still an addict AsuCaga fan. Rusty is just an extra party, believe me. Kira is also facing a situation too and it's a rather big one. I'm gonna update soon. Please review and no flaming.


	7. A Troubling Issue

JC: Here's chapter 7. I had to hide in a box from all you AsuCaga fans. I'm really sorry for letting Rusty kiss Cagalli-sama on the lips. I was so crazy. I'm even mad at myself. Haha! Please do read and enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I only own Jean and Kai here.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 07: A Troubling Issue

"Anyway, why did you bring me here?" Cagalli asked the orange-haired guy, as she sat down on the soft sand.

"Like I said, I have something good to show you," Rusty replied and sat down beside her.

She shrugged. "And what is that?" The moment she turned her head at him, Rusty leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. "Ahmm…?" Her amber orbs grew wide as marbles, as she felt his hot lips against hers. Rusty was kissing her, kissing her passionately that it almost felt so tempting.

Tempting as it was, Cagalli knew it was so wrong. She pushed Rusty away and punched him hard on his face. She was mad, freaking mad at him for kissing her without her permission. She felt so violated. She stood up, glaring down at Rusty, with her fists clenched tight.

Rusty saw how furious she was in her amber orbs. He felt fear and pain in his heart. "I-I'm sorry," he muttered, touching his swollen red cheek. "I didn't know what came over me." His voice was low and soft.

Hesitantly, she touched her lips. She could still feel his warm lips against hers. She shook her head vigorously, trying to wipe the awful memory of his kiss. She was already engaged to the man she truly loved. She made a solemn promise to herself that she will only kiss Athrun and no one else. "You bastard! How dare you?!" She wanted to punch him again.

"Cagalli, I'm sorry!" Rusty uttered, rising from his position. His eyes were glued to the sand as his bangs covered his face. He had no courage to face her eye to eye. He was so ashamed of himself. "It's just that I have feelings for you, Cagalli. I love you…"

Hearing those three words made her blush a little. She knew how it felt to be in love, but it doesn't excuse him from his actions a while ago. "Don't you dare say my name…" she grumbled, gritting her teeth.

"Huh?" Rusty raised his head and saw her furious eyes.

"You're no friend of mine, so don't say my name," she said.

"Cagalli…"

"Shut up!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Mackenzie, you know very well that I already have a fiancé," Cagalli said, showing him the engagement ring on her finger. "And yet, you… I can't believe you!"

"Looks like my emotions got the best of me, princess." Rusty smirked a bit, as his eyes showed guilt and pain. "I hope you can forgive me, princess. I still want you to be my friend."

"I'll have to think about it, Mackenzie." She spun on her heels and walked away from him. "In the meantime, don't show your face to me." She quickened her pace, leaving Rusty alone to reflect on what he did.

_ORB Military HQ_

It was another busy day at headquarters. Nothing but work, work, and more work for the soldiers. But they were already used to the busy life. Sure, there were a few complaints here and there, but there were still satisfied because they have such great leaders. However, none of them knew how problematic their leaders were at the moment. One had problems with two girls who were undeniably beautiful and the other one was facing a crisis with a boy whom she thought she could trust. They were leaders of a great country, but in reality, they were still normal people.

Kira heaved a deep sigh as he disembarked from his private ship. He had arrived from his trip to Scandinavia and he was exhausted both physically and mentally. During his stay at the Clyne Mansion, Kira was forced to spend all his time with the lovely Lacus Clyne. They toured around the mansion and even walked around the Clyne Private Resort. He had entertained Lacus' questions properly and kept a fake smile on his face for the whole time.

"You've been sighing a lot since we left, Kira," Athrun said, showing some concern. He placed a hand on Kira's shoulder. "I know it's tough."

"Athrun, you're lucky that you only have one girl to worry about," Kira muttered, lowering his head. "Why did my parents have to make those promises to them? I'm the one who's suffering right now."

"Your parents didn't expect things to turn out this way," Athrun replied. "How about if you go home and rest up?" He was sure that Kira would forget his worries for a while when he's at home.

But Kira shook his head. "I still have some office work to do, Athrun. Thanks for the suggestion…" He walked away, trying to keep his chin up. Despite the problems he had, he was still the Head Representative and he needed to keep up his good work.

Athrun understood Kira's sense of responsibility and decided to let him be. Now that he was back from the trip, he could see Cagalli. He wondered if Cagalli was back at the mansion. "I'll better go check." He started walking down the hallways and suddenly…

BUMP!

Somebody bumped into him, but he regained his balance right away. Unfortunately, the person fell butt first on the floor. Athrun quickly looked at the person and was surprised to see that it was Cagalli. "Are you all right?" He offered his hand to her.

"Um…Yeah… I'm fine…" Cagalli replied, not aware that Athrun was there. As much as she detested it, the scene of Rusty kissing her still haunted her mind. She couldn't get rid of it no matter.

"Cagalli, don't you want to stand up?" Athrun asked since she was still on the floor.

"Oh?" She looked up and met his emerald orbs. "Athrun, you're back!" She presented a wide smile to him and took his hand.

"Everything all right, Cagalli?" He pulled her up and smiled.

"Yeah! Everything's all right!" She laughed a bit nervously, thinking if she should mention Rusty to Athrun. She hasn't mentioned her problem with Rusty to anyone yet. She knew it would be a shock to everyone that a person managed to steal a kiss from the Princess of ORB. But keeping it inside was pretty hard as well.

Athrun sensed something odd about Cagalli and wanted to ask what was wrong. But then he remembered Kira's big problem. "Cagalli, Kira's probably in his office right now. I bet he wants to see you."

"Oh, really?" she beamed. "By the way, how was the trip? What did Lacus Clyne discuss about to Kira?"

"How about if you ask Kira about that?" Athrun faked a smile. Seriously, he did not want to explain the whole engagement thing to her. Knowing Cagalli, she would probably explode and end up blaming him for not stopping Kira.

"All right…" She spun on her heels. "I'll see you later, Athrun," she said and then walked off.

_Head Representative Office _

Restless as you may call it, Kira was pacing back and forth in his office. He kept thinking about the two girls and their somehow crazy fathers. He didn't actually want to say that they were crazy, but those two leaders really gave him a headache, no, migraine. He was usually calm and collected in handling problems. Well, problems of his countries, but problems with girls? How he wished he could die there so he wouldn't have to go through the stupid ordeal.

"It's all a stupid bet," mumbled Kira, stopping by the window. He stared out to the clouds and sighed once again. "And I'm the price…"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Someone was at the door.

Kira turned around and crossed his hands behind him. He thought it would be a soldier so he needed to have a firm face. "Come in," he said in a serious tone.

When the door opened, a familiar blonde girl came in and she was carrying a smile on her face. "Hey Kira!" Yes, it was Cagalli Yula Athha, the ever-so-loving twin of the young Representative of ORB.

"C-Cagalli?" His firm face simply vanished at the sight of his twin. How could he tell her about his engagement to Lacus? How was she going to react when he will tell her about the bet? One thing for sure, he knew it wasn't going to be pretty. He was dead scared of Cagalli's violent temper. He could control her but not all the time. "How's it going?" he managed to say, as a drop of sweat slid down his cheek.

"Nothing much," Cagalli replied, hoping she could mask her sadness. She was thinking of telling Kira first about Rusty, but she decided to stay quiet about the issue for a while. "How was the trip, Kira? How is Scandinavia?"

He straightened up and turned around, pretending to look outside the window. He didn't want Cagalli to see his disoriented expression. "Scandinavia is a fine country. I actually like it. The soldiers there are much disciplined." He talked like any serious leader would.

"How about Lacus Clyne?"

He really hoped she wouldn't bring her name up. "Oh, Lacus Clyne is a sweet girl and her father is one understanding man. I really enjoyed their hospitality."

"What did you guys talk about?" Cagalli approached his desk and sat down.

Kira was beginning to sweat a lot. "Umm… Politics, countries, weapons, military… You know the usual stuff."

"Is that all?"

He was getting the feeling that Cagalli was on to him. "Yeah, that's all."

"Kira, why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something from me?" she muttered, narrowing his gaze at his back.

Curse the twin intuition. He can probably hide his secrets from everyone but not from Cagalli. She knew him to well, as in very well. He gulped as he felt chills going up his spine. He knew Cagalli was staring at him as if she wanted to bore holes on his back.

"You didn't wind up in another agreement, right?" Her voice was becoming relatively eerie. "Kira, come on, spit it out."

She was reading him like an open book, Kira thought.

"Kira, this silence is really suspicious."

Kira turned his head slightly to the blonde. "Cagalli, promise me you won't get mad, okay?" he pleaded. He revealed an awkward smile, making Cagalli more curious about him.

"And why would I get mad at you in the first place?"

"It's just that…" Kira started explaining. Well, his sister had the right to know.

_Hangar_

At the Far East corner of the hangar, a group of soldiers were talking about an interesting topic on a certain brunette and his girl problems. The soldiers were actually friends of the brunette, also known as Kira Yamato. They were Kai Kazuya, Miriallia Hawe, the Zala Siblings, Athrun and Jean.

Miriallia couldn't believe what she just heard from Athrun. Her best friend had become a price in a bet. She didn't know if she should be happy about it or be extremely angry. She did wish Kira to have a love life once, but she didn't quite expect it to turn bizarre. She pitied Kira for having to go through these problems. "I'm going to talk to him later," she said.

"I'm sure he'll feel better after talking to you," said Kai, grinning widely.

Suddenly, the red-haired Jean pinched his face hard and shrugged. "Wipe that goofy grin off your face, Kai!" she uttered, releasing his face. She crossed her hands in front of her and glared at him. "You're actually thinking that Kira-sama's situation is funny."

"WHAT?! NO! " He shouted, but Jean just glared at him more. "Okay… Okay… It's just that, man, Kira's one lucky guy!" He leaned his back against the wall.

"What do you mean? Kira-sama is feeling unlucky right now thanks to Vice-Foreign Minister Alster and Siegel-sama!"

"Well, he has two girls to choose from. Come on, let's make a bet," Kai said, rubbing his two hands together like some greedy investor. "Who will win Kira's heart? Will it be Lacus Clyne or Fllay Alster?"

Jean never knew how thoughtless Kai was. She stomped over to him and hit his head. "You are such an idiot! Don't joke around at a time like this!" she shouted near his hear, rendering him almost deaf.

"Now, Jean, calm down," Athrun said, grabbing his sister's hands to stop her from hitting the Kai again.

"Nii-san, I have to teach this guy a lesson," she said, struggling to break free from his grasp.

"Jean…"

"Hey, Jean, settle down," Kai said, winking an eye. "Your angry face is making you ugly."

Jean instantly blushed at his remark. "WHY YOU?!!" She was extremely angry now. "LET ME AT HIM!"

Kai dashed off in an instant. "Zala, make sure you're holding her tight," he said when he reached a certain distance from Jean. "I don't want to turn into scrap!" He chuckled merrily.

Miriallia couldn't help but chuckle with him. The scene was too funny.

"I'll get you, Kai!" Jean uttered.

Athrun continued to hold her, much to his dismay. His sister was making a real ruckus and the other soldiers were starting to get curious. He quickly covered her mouth and brought her outside.

"Nothing to see here," Miriallia said warmly, waving her hand at the other soldiers. She then ran off to follow the siblings.

The soldiers went back to their routines, ignoring what just happened.

_Head Representative Office_

"YOU DID WHAT?!!" Cagalli screamed at the top of her lungs.

Kira backed away from her, while a worried look covered his face. He just explained to Cagalli about everything—from the engagement, the bet, to the promises made by their parents. It didn't do him any good. He got Cagalli mad and he could feel her dangerous aura spreading around the room.

"I can't believe you, Kira!" Cagalli slammed her hands on the desk. "You're engaged to two girls now! How can you not say no?!"

"I can't back down, Cagalli," he replied, still feeling nervous. "Siegel Clyne and the Vice-Foreign Minister were very serious about the promises."

"How about the bet?!"

"Well, that's…"

"This is too much—even for you, Kira!"

"I know…"

Cagalli massaged her temples a bit to calm down. She didn't know what to think of her brother anymore. It was either he was too soft or too much of an idiot.

"I'm really sorry, Cagalli," he muttered under his breath.

"So, who are you going to choose?" she suddenly asked.

"I don't know. I can't decide."

"It's because you don't know them too well," Cagalli said, taking a seat on his desk. She cupped her chin with her left hand, while her right hand tapped the desk. "Kira, you know you can't force yourself to love them."

True, she had a point. Kira had thought about it too. "Maybe I should get to know them better."

"It's the only way." Cagalli stood up and motioned herself over to his side. "But how are you going to do that?"

He plainly shook his head and stared down at the floor. He was certainly confused, and Cagalli could feel the burden in his heart. It was twin's intuition again.

"Kira, I'm sure you'll get through this," she said in soft voice this time. She can't be angry at him all the way now, can she? The only way to help her brother out was to support him in the best way possible.

"Thanks…" Kira muttered, feeling lucky to have a good sister.

_ORB Mansion_

The morning was gloomy and cloudy. It seemed that it was going to rain any moment. Inside the mansion, the brunette representative was getting ready in his room. He was facing his mirror, combing his unruly hair. His things were all set on his desk. The only thing missing was his uniform coat which he hanged on the chair. After he was done fixing his face up, he walked towards his desk, put on his coat, and grabbed all the things he needed for the day.

Before he left the room, he noticed the dark clouds looming over the mansion. He knew it was going to rain. He walked out the room and went downstairs to the dining room where breakfast was served. Sitting across him was his blonde sister who was eating her eggs and bacon.

"Good morning, Kira!" she greeted him after stuffing the last piece of bacon into her mouth.

"Good morning, Cagalli," he replied. He picked up his knife and fork and started eating.

Cagalli had finished up her meal and drank some milk. As she placed her glass down, she looked over at the brunette and flashed a smile. "Kira, I don't know if you can handle more surprises but…" she said.

"Huh?" He looked at her curiously. "What is it, Cagalli?"

"You have some unexpected guests, Kira, and I want you to entertain them for the day," Cagalli said, as she lifted her glass of milk.

Kira raised an eyebrow. "Cagalli, I can't do that. I have a meeting this afternoon."

"I know." Cagalli drank her milk till the last drop and placed the glass on the table. "That's why I'm going to take your place. I'll handle that meeting later, Kira."

"Don't be silly," Kira said after taking a bite of the bacon.

"I can handle it."

"But it's my job. You have your own job to worry about."

"Kira, you're going to entertain the guests whether you like it or not," she said seriously, narrowing her gaze.

Fearing her violent temper, Kira decided to give in. "Who are these guests? Do I know them?" he asked.

Cagalli smiled at him mischievously. She wiped her mouth with a clean napkin, stood up, and spun on her heels. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Kira. "Let's just say they're acquaintances of yours," she said, giggling like a little girl.

He had a bad feeling about these guests. "All right… Where are they?"

"Right behind you," replied Cagalli and left the dining room in a hurry.

"Behind me?" he muttered. Slowly, he turned his head and saw two persons gawking at him. He gasped and accidentally knocked over his glass of milk on the table. "What?! What are you doing here?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: All right, it's over for now. You can guess who the two persons are? It's quite obvious. The next chapter will be more about Athrun, Cagalli, and Rusty. Be sure to watch out for it. Please review and no flaming.


	8. A Not so Thrilling Day

JC: Hey, sorry if this took a while to update. I've been busy with school and I'm also working on another fic as well. Here's chapter 8. Please read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in Gundam Seed. I only own Jean and Kai.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 08: A Not-so-Thrilling Day

Cagalli smiled at her brunette brother mischievously. She wiped her mouth with a clean napkin, stood up from the table, and spun on her heels. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Kira. "Let's just say they're acquaintances of yours," she said, giggling like a little girl.

He had a bad feeling about these guests. "All right… Where are they?"

"Right behind you," replied Cagalli and left the dining room in a hurry.

"Behind me?" he muttered. Slowly, he turned his head and saw two persons gawking at him. He gasped and accidentally knocked over his glass of milk on the table. "What?! What are you doing here?"

"Oh my, the glass," a pink-haired young beauty said, covering her mouth with her hand. She reached for the glass and placed it properly again on the table. "You should really be careful, Representative." Her voice and her smile were oh-so-pleasant, as she gave a wonderful cheerfully aura.

"Um…yeah…" was all Kira could say. Obviously, he was still flabbergasted at the fact that his two fiancées were in his mansion. He had a lot of questions in mind like when and how did they get here.

The other girl with red hair shot him a stern look, while her right hand was on her waist. "What's with that face? Aren't you happy to see us?" she said. Frankly, she gave out a dangerous aura, which Kira had sensed in her.

Regaining his composure, he stood up and bowed to the ladies. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, Lacus-san, Fllay-san…" He raised his head to stare up at the beautiful girls. "It's just that I didn't expect you two to be here." He managed to present a small smile, though he wanted to wither inside.

"We are very sorry for not telling you of our arrival, Representative," Lacus said, clasping her hands together before her chest. "We just wanted to surprise you."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Fllay countered, folding her arms. "It's all your idea." She pointed out, boredom written on her face. She definitely didn't want to make any surprises for the young Ultimate Coordinator. She didn't even want to be in ORB in the first place. She totally despised the whole engagement thing. If only her father didn't force her, she would still be happily doing her job back at her homeland.

"But you still came here with me," Lacus replied, not minding Fllay's snobbish attitude at all. Well, Lacus was always friendly and she wasn't the type to get affected by another's person's attitude.

Fllay rolled her eyes away. "Whatever…" She then glared at Kira, giving him a very strange feeling. From what he had observed, Fllay had one serious attitude problem. He just hoped he could get along with her despite that fact.

Since Cagalli forced him to entertain the girls, he had no choice but to be with them and do whatever it takes to know them better. Judging from the two of them, he can see himself getting along with Lacus well, but he was pretty unsure with Fllay. "So, where do you want me to take you? I'm free for the whole day." Yeah free, thanks to his sly blonde sister. And he thought Cagalli was against the engagement.

"I don't know ORB that well," Lacus replied, taking hold of Kira's hands. "How about if you take us on a tour, Representative?"

Kira glanced at their hands before looking back at Lacus. His cheeks flushed up, much to his chagrin. In response to her question, he nodded his head and made the pink-haired girl smiled with delight.

"Thank you very much, Representative!"

"You can drop the Representative name," Kira told her, lowering his head due to his abnormal blush on his face. Lacus was still holding his hand, making him so uncomfortable. "Just call me Kira, okay?"

"Really?" Lacus beamed with a radiant smile as she released his hands. "Then please call me Lacus." She pointed at her dear old self.

Kira gazed upon her pretty face and her crystal blue eyes. Somehow, he felt like gazing upon an angel. He nodded his head in reply, as his heart skipped a beat.

The red-haired daughter of the Vice-Foreign Minister had taken notice of all of Kira's reaction with Lacus. She had a pretty good idea on why he was acting that way. Her lips curved into a malicious grin, as a plan came into her mind.

_Parliament House _

Riding in her exquisite and flashy limousine, Cagalli arrived at her destination where a group of soldiers were already lined up at the entrance to greet her. When the limo pulled to a stop, one of the soldiers opened the door. The blonde sister of the Head Representative hopped off of the limo and saluted at the soldiers. After that, she walked into the building and saw her good friend, Miriallia.

"Good Morning, Cagalli-sama," said Miriallia with formality. Normally, she just addressed Cagalli by her name, but she has to be formal every time around other people—even if they are friends. Clutching onto her clipboard with some report papers on it, Miriallia approached the young blonde and flashed the first page of the report. "I managed to finish it yesterday night, Cagalli-sama."

Although it was for respect, Cagalli cringed every time she hears Miriallia speak with her so formally. But the others were oblivious to her reactions. She glanced at the report for only a brief moment. "I'll read all of it later," she said. "For now, I have an important meeting to attend to."

Miriallia blinked twice. "Meeting? I thought the Head Representative was going to handle it." She always knew of Kira's schedules and she sometimes managed them.

"I'm here to relieve him," Cagalli replied, a smirk came to her face.

"Did he ask you to do that?" the honey-brown haired girl asked in a lower voice this time.

Sighing, the blonde shook her head.

"Eh? Don't tell me you volunteered?" That would be a shock. Since when did Cagalli do Kira's job without ever forcing her or maybe blackmailing her? She knew it had to be something else or a joke perhaps.

"Yes, since it was necessary," Cagalli replied, her head sinking down, as she started walking.

Miriallia's eyes widen. She followed Cagalli closely and asked some more questions. She had to know why Kira just let Cagalli take his job for the day. After knowing him for so long, she knew it wasn't like Kira to do that. Something was definitely up.

Cagalli looked at her brown-haired friend, her lips curving into a small smile. "Kira's fiancées came to visit him. It looks like the battle to win Kira's heart had began and it's all because of a stupid bet. It's kinda ridiculous, don't you think?" She let out an exasperated sigh and held her temple with her right hand.

"But it's kinda interesting at the same time," Miriallia added, folding her arms, as she stared hard at the floor.

"You think?"

"Yeah!" Miriallia said, turning to face Cagalli with a sly smile. She had this strange twinkle in her eyes that made the blonde wonder what she was up to. "Since Kira can't escape his fate, we might as well support him. Who do you think is better for him?"

"I can't really tell," Cagalli replied. Honestly, she wasn't quite familiar with the two girls either. All she knew was they were the daughters of great leaders.

"Hey, let's help him out," Miriallia suggested.

"Help him?" Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "And why? It's his love life after all."

"Exactly!" Miriallia cupped her chin with her hand. "Kira is absolutely clueless about love. Believe me, Cagalli, I know!" she said it louder this time, since no one was around to hear them.

Cagalli had to agree with her. Her brother was definitely a shy-type of guy and he usually stays away from girls who are flirting with him. Well, he had the looks and everything. He can practically get girls to date him from almost anywhere in ORB. However, Kira refused to indulge himself in a relationship. He kept telling her before that the country was his top-most priority. Cagalli understood all his responsibilities and she admired him for that. Still, it wouldn't hurt if he had a love life.

_Downtown _

The streets were busy as usual with people buzzing over boutiques and shops. Girls with revealing outfits marched around the city, clearly trying to catch the attentions of boys. Well, most girls were out shopping and some were just flirting. But a certain blonde girl with magenta eyes was just strolling around, taking a look at the latest items on sale. She was clad in a white-tank top with blue linings and denim mini-skirt. For footwear, she wore a pair of flat white sandals with lacey straps.

She stopped in front of a particular boutique where it sells some fine clothes for teens. She stared at her reflection for a moment before taking a good look at the midnight-blue gown on display. She imagined herself wearing the gown while dancing with a crimson-eyed coordinator she knew and has grown to like. She merely smiled at the thought.

"Shinn…" she muttered his name with sadness. She had missed him dearly. His visit in ORB really made her happy, but because of his work in ZAFT, he had to return to PLANT. How she wished to see him again. She considered Shinn as a very good companion, and he does manage to make her laugh and smile.

Taking a few steps forward, she stared into the sky. As a weak wind blew pass her, she took a deep breath and continued her walk. But she immediately stopped at the sight of a familiar guy with orange-hair. "Isn't that…?" she said, placing a finger on her cheek. "It is him! Rusty!" She waved a hand at him to catch his attention.

Rusty turned his head at the direction of the voice who called him. To his surprise, it was one of Cagalli's friends, Stellar Loussier. "Hey, you still remember me. I'm pleased," said Rusty, facing her with a full front.

"Of course! "

"So, what's a cute girl like you doing here in town?"

"It's my day-off. I have nothing to do at home, so I figured to do some window shopping."

"I see." Rusty then thought about Cagalli and what he did to her the other day. "Stellar-chan, how's Cagalli?" he asked rather awkwardly.

"She's doing fine!" Stellar answered. "Why do you ask?"

Rusty chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Oh, I was just wondering. Hehe…" He was kind of relief. Since Stellar was still talking to him, it could only mean that Cagalli hasn't told her yet about the kiss.

"Rusty…Hello?" Stellar waved a hand in front of his face since he was spacing out.

With that action, the guy snapped back to reality. "Sorry…"

"What were you thinking just now?" Stellar leaned forward with curiosity written all over her face, but she still looked so adorable.

Anxiety filled his heart in an instant. How could he tell Stellar that he actually kissed Cagalli on purpose? He was going to be killed if Stellar finds out, he thought quietly. He tried to avert his gaze away from Stellar, but the young girl still pestered him with her question.

"Come on, you can tell me." Stellar was smiling at him, yet her smile had a strange feeling to it. Frankly, it was giving Rusty the creeps. "I can keep a secret."

She was being nosy for a cute girl, he thought. But then again, it was his fault for making his feelings obvious in the first place. "Don't get mad, okay?" he muttered, as his shoulders slumped down.

"Why would I get mad?"

"Listen to me closely, Stellar-chan…" Rusty mustered up all his courage and started explaining all his worries to Stellar. He was still afraid of what Stellar's reaction might be, but he couldn't keep his problems any longer. He had to tell someone.

_Office_

The young blonde princess sat down on the couch to finally rest. She never expected the meeting to be that long. Seriously, some of the supervising officials were getting on her last nerves. She wondered how Kira can put up with them. But she remembered how her personality differed from Kira. She had to admit that Kira was way nicer than her. She was known to be a hot-headed princess, while Kira was the level-headed prince. At least, that was what she heard from random people.

The door creaked open, alerting her senses. She quickly turned her head at the door and saw a dashing blue-haired coordinator clad in his usual ORB uniform. Cagalli simply threw a smile, feeling happy to finally be able to spend some time with him. For the past few days, her attention was all on her work. She felt sorry for not going on a date with Athrun for a long time.

"It's rather unusual for you to take over Kira's job," Athrun said, sounding like Miriallia all of a sudden.

Cagalli didn't want to explain what she explained earlier to Miriallia, because she was in no mood. "Just ask Miriallia why, okay?" she grunted, leaning her cheek on her hand.

"Don't worry," said Athrun, as he took a seat beside her. "She told me everything."

"Life is getting complicated for Kira."

"I have to agree."

"I hope he's enjoying his time with those girls." Cagalli faced her fiancé with an annoyed look on her face. "Kira, being the idiotic yet responsible brother that he is, better choose the right girl for him."

"Why can't you have faith in him?" Athrun asked with a slight chuckle.

"Because I just can't!" she pouted.

Despite her strong front, Athrun could see how worried she was for Kira. He might also feel the same way if his little sister was ever in the place of the brunette prince. Okay, that would be horrible for him too. However, he somehow wanted to laugh at the thought of Jean being engaged.

"Cagalli, your brother will be fine," he said in assurance. "Besides, it's not as if those two girls will eat him. I can see that they're both good."

The blonde instantly gave him a death glare. "And what do you mean by 'good'?"

"Good in terms of personality, Cagalli," he said sarcastically, seeing that Cagalli had thought of something suspicious with him when he mentioned the girls.

"Oh, is that so?" She eyed him so keenly that it was starting to bug him.

"Don't tell me you're jealous?" Athrun said just to tease her, which works every time.

Cagalli narrowed her gaze even more and turned away. "Don't get so cocky! I'm no where near jealous!" she said in a loud voice.

"There's no need to shout. I'm sitting right next to you," Athrun told her, while covering his ears. Honestly, Cagalli's loud voice was enough to make him deaf for a few minutes. He was thankful enough that her voice wasn't like those flirty girls.

"It's your fault," she grumbled, slowly facing him again. Her amber eyes were still furious. She just doesn't want to admit that she got jealous. It would definitely hurt her pride.

Athrun sighed in defeat. He was always the first one to give in. If he continued teasing her, it would result to a very angry Cagalli, and he would have to suffer some major consequences. He didn't want that. Therefore, he clasped Cagalli's hand and caressed it gently.

The blonde blushed at his action and tried to hide her face from him. "Don't try to act all sweet to me now!" she shouted.

True, he was trying to be sweet to her. But he absolutely enjoyed touching her hand. "Cagalli…" He tilted her head, making her look at his emerald-green orbs. He formed a gentle smile on his handsome face. "It's been a while since we went out."

"You don't have to tell me that," she answered in her unruly voice.

"How about if I'll take you to dinner tonight?" he asked, gently squeezing her hand.

Cagalli would never say no to such an offer. She had missed Athrun greatly—even though he was just around. Her work was taking a lot of her time and she felt guilty for leaving Athrun alone. This was the time to make up her lost time. "That sounds good," she said pleasantly.

"Be sure to wear a dress," he said, remembering how the princess hated wearing fancy clothes. But he thought it would be only proper since they were going on a formal date in a fine restaurant downtown. Plus, he liked seeing Cagalli in a beautiful dress.

All the blonde did was shrug. Dresses, gowns, and stuff like that don't interest her, unlike other girls. But she decided to wear a dress for the sake of Athrun.

Athrun, who still had his luscious emerald-green eyes set on her, touched her cheek and brushed some strands of her away from her eyes. The way he looked at her was still the same—full of love and compassion. He saw the blush on her face, making him smile. He had always found her cute whenever she was blushing. As he glanced at her lips, his heart skipped a beat. An urge to kiss was building inside of him, though he still looked calm outside. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward to give her a kiss on the lips.

Her amber orbs grew wide in surprise. Her fiancé was going to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him too, but an unexpected scene flashbacked in her mind. As she looked at Athrun again, she saw a different face. To her dismay, she saw Rusty right before her eyes. Sadly, she stood up in an instant, apologizing to Athrun.

However, Athrun thought Cagalli was only feeling embarrassed. "I'm the one who should say sorry. I know how you feel whenever I do this," he said. Whenever he acted sweet around her, Cagalli would blush madly and get all awkward, and he understood that well.

Cagalli cast him a pleasant face just to assure him that everything was all right with her. But, as she spun on her heels, her bright face darkened. Her thoughts were once again haunted by Rusty who undeniably stole her kiss. Thank goodness it wasn't her first kiss. Still, she felt bad about it.

"You still have something to do?" Athrun asked, standing up from his seat.

"Yeah…" she lied, feeling guiltier. "It won't take long." She peered over her shoulder and smiled at Athrun.

"I'll pick you up at 7," Athrun told her. "I'm excited for our date."

She was excited too, but a part of her was a bit down. "Don't be late or else!" She balled her hands into fists to show she was serious. She has a knack of threatening Athrun whenever it comes to dates. Besides, it was good way to hide her concerns for the meantime.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: It seems like Rusty had a big impact on Cagalli. I usually like writing about Athrun and Cagalli kissing, but I didn't seem to let them kiss here. Well, I had to make some changes to make things interesting for my part too. Kira is blushing a lot at Lacus, and Fllay has a wild hunch about him. That's all for this chapter. Please review! No flaming please!


	9. A Confrontation and A Kiss

JC: Hehe! Gomen minna-san! I took so long to update. I'm having a writer's block on this story. I have to read Love Fulfilled again in order to get my head straight. Anyway, here's chapter 9. Please read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED. I just own Jean and Kai, okay? Don't ever sue me.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 09: A Confrontation and A Kiss

"Listen to me closely, Stellar-chan…" Rusty mustered up all his courage and started explaining all his worries to Stellar. He was still afraid of what Stellar's reaction might be, but he couldn't keep his problems any longer. He had to tell someone.

Stellar let out a gasp. She was completely surprised at what she just heard. Her new friend, Rusty Mackenzie, actually kissed the most prominent female of ORB, also known as Cagalli Yula Athha. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know whether to scold him or just get upset. She stared at Rusty with those cute magenta eyes of hers. Her right hand was on her mouth as her other hand was against her chest.

Rusty sighed deeply. "Sorry…" he said in a low tone. "I didn't know what came over me. It's just that she…" Once again he sighed, feeling regret and sad. What he did to the princess was very rude. He wondered if he would have the chance to apologize to her.

"Do you really like Cagalli-san?" the blonde girl asked, removing her hand from her mouth.

"What?!" The orange head just blushed madly. Of course, he didn't just like her, he loved her. Why would he even bother to kiss Cagalli in the first place? Damn, love was so complicated and it was making him crazy. His once calm face was filled with anxiety. He brushed through his hair as he averted his eyes away from the girl.

"You are in love!" she said cheerfully, clasping her two hands together. Stellar may seemed dense, but she actually knows a thing or two about love. "When did this start, Rusty?" She looked at him curiously as she presented a cute smile on her face.

Rusty swallowed hard. _What is with this girl? I thought she would be mad at me or something. Weird… _he thought silently. "Well, I fell in love with her since I was still a kid," he started, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Really? What age?"

"Um… 12 years old."

"So young!"

"Yeah, that's right."Rusty had to admit, the girl was sure fun to talk to. "That was the time I moved into ORB. You see, I used to live in October City of PLANT."

"How did you fall in love with Cagalli-san?"

Rusty remembered it like yesterday. Meeting Cagalli for the first time was one of his treasured memories. He actually loved talking about the feisty blonde and he didn't hesitate to express his feelings for her whenever he tells his friends about her. Rusty seemed to have his own world when it comes to Cagalli. "It was the 18th Day of May. The whole city was celebrating the birthday of the princess. There was a parade, music and parties," he started his story with much enthusiasm, as the young Stellar listened closely to him.

**Flashback**

_A twelve year old Rusty Mackenzie was walking along the streets of ORB. He left his apartment to explore his new surroundings since he just moved in from PLANT. He was a new kid and he wanted to make friends soon. As he neared the main street, he heard music being played by a band. He was also surprised to see a lot of people lined up along the street as if they were waiting for something important to come. Curious, the young orange head made his way through the crowd until he was able to see the road. _

"_What is all this fuss?" he said. _

"_Don't you know that it's Princess Cagalli's birthday today?" a boy about his age answered for him. He was standing right beside Rusty and he was holding some streamers and balloons. _

"_Princess Cagalli?" Since Rusty was new in ORB, he had no idea who the princess was. _

"_Are you stupid or what?" the boy grunted. "Don't you know who Princess Cagalli is?" _

_Rusty plainly shook his head. He was being honest. _

_The boy sighed in frustration and raised an eyebrow at Rusty. "She's the daughter of the Head Representative of ORB. She's really cute! You should really see her!" he said in excitement. _

"_Oh…" _

"_All the people here are loyal fans of the princess." _

_Rusty stared at him with a blank expression. He wasn't really the type to go fan mode just because of a princess. He didn't care about celebrities and statuses. A plain and simple girl would do him just fine. He shrugged in his place and folded his arms. Since he was already there, he decided to see the princess if she was really cute or not. _

_As a long stretched black limo was approaching, the people went wilder and screamed louder. Rusty could say that the princess was coming but he still didn't care. The limo had its windows open where you could see the people inside. _

"_It's Princess Cagalli!" the boy beside Rusty shouted, almost rendering the poor orange head deaf. How gaga can this boy get anyway? Rusty grunted. _

_He took a good look at the blonde inside the limo. He was shocked. The boy was right, Cagalli was cute. She was waving her hand at the people, but there was something wrong with her. Rusty could see through her smile, which was fake actually. Somehow, he grew very concerned for her. It was her birthday and yet, she had a sad smile on her face. Rusty was never wrong when it comes to reading people's emotions. He had a lot of experience back at the PLANT. _

**End of Flashback **

"Since then, I couldn't stop thinking about her," Rusty said, ending his story. "Later, I learned about her personality and her charity works in ORB. I reviewed her profile almost everyday on some fan sites I came across on the web. I became addicted to her." He chuckled, feeling awkwardly.

"So, you're just some fan boy then," Stellar said with a different tone.

Rusty glanced back at her only to see her serious magenta eyes. He got a little scared. It was his first time to see such eyes from an adorable girl. "Um… Fan boy?" he muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yes, fan boy…"

"Why would you say that?"

"You're not really in love with her. You're not romantically interested in her," Stellar said, spinning on her heels. She sounded so disappointed. "You just admire her and that's all."

Rusty vigorously shook his head. "NO! You're wrong, Stellar-chan!" he uttered, clenching his fists. "I love Cagalli!" And he really meant it.

But Stellar didn't believe him. "No, you don't," she said coldly. She turned her head slightly and looked at him with a stoic expression. "She's nothing but an idol to you."

"My love for her is real."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is!"

"Prove it." Stellar didn't mean to treat him so coldly but she just wanted to confirm something from him.

"How?"

Stellar turned around to face him again. "You do know that Cagalli-san is engaged to Athrun Zala, right?" Her lips curved into a smile.

Rusty raised an eyebrow, as he tried to guess what the young blonde was thinking. But the mere mention of the name, Athrun Zala, made him shiver. True, he knew about the engagement. He became devastated when he heard that Cagalli was getting married to a soldier. All his hopes and dreams of being with girl he loved got shattered into a million pieces. Even so, he didn't hate Athrun Zala for that. He was too much of a nice guy.

"Yeah, what about it?" he finally replied.

"If you truly love Cagalli-san, then you should forget about her and move on." Stellar patted his shoulder.

"I tried to move on, Stellar-chan," he said, with a hint of pain in his eyes. "But I just can't. I love her so much."

Stellar felt sorry for the guy. Through his eyes, she could see love and compassion in them. She wanted to help him in some way. She stayed silent for a while as she tried to come up with an idea to cheer him up. After a minute, she squealed in delight and held Rusty's hands. "Rusty, I can help you move on!" she beamed, her smile almost reaching her ears.

Rusty looked at her with more confusion than ever. "Stellar, I appreciate the help but…" His voice faded a bit. Gently, he brushed his hands away from her. "But I can't force myself to love you."

"What are you saying?" Stellar pouted, placing her hands on her hips. "Force yourself to love me?" She began laughing. She gave Rusty a completely wrong idea.

"EH?"

"Silly!" She punched his arm lightly. "You misunderstood me. I was planning to set you up on a date with Cagalli-san!"

Rusty felt like he got hit by a truck just now. It was inhumane for him to go on a date with Cagalli. He was sure that Cagalli was still mad at him. Go near her and he'll be killed in a flash. He still wanted to live a full life for crying out loud. "No way!" he retorted.

"It's not a romantic date, okay?" Stellar said it loud and clear for him.

"What is it then?"

"Let me ask you something," Stellar said, cupping her chin with her hand. "Did you apologize to Cagalli-san for kissing her?"

"Hmmm… I think so… But she was still mad."

"I thought so." Stellar heaved a sigh. She motioned over to his side and smacked his back so hard. "You better apologize properly to her next time."

The impact caused him to cough several times. He never knew a girl like Stellar could hit him like that. He wanted to complain about it but he simply shook it out of his system. "So, you're setting me up on a date so I can apologize to her?"

Stellar nodded like a little girl. "Of course!"

Truth to known, he wasn't so sure about Stellar's idea. First of, he was afraid of Cagalli's wrath. Secondly, she might just ignore him on their date. Lastly, she would probably use her Gundam to kill him. The last one was a crazy thought, but it could still happen. Despite his fears, he still wanted to see Cagalli again and to apologize to her. So, with a heavy heart, Rusty agreed to Stellar's plan.

_Next Day… _

In the humongous bedroom of the Athha Mansion, a young brunette was still sleeping on his king-sized bed. It was already 6 o'clock in the morning. He would usually wake up at this time, but today he just wanted to sleep in. Why? He was so tired from yesterday's escapade around the city. His two lovely fiancées dragged him almost everywhere in the city. It was far worse than having Cagalli dragged him to work or to the beach. He didn't know that girls would be so much trouble. Well, Cagalli was already enough trouble for him, but he could still manage her. His best friend, Miriallia, was also okay for him. But Lacus and Fllay? He didn't even want to think of them.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Kira, are you awake?!" Lacus Clyne asked as she knocked on the bedroom door. She woke up at 5 o'clock in the morning and she seemed to be full of energy already. "Please answer me, Kira!" Her voice was still sweet as ever, even though her voice was quite loud. She wanted to eat breakfast together with Kira, since she was the one who prepared it. Cooking was one of her many talents.

The young representative groaned with frustration. He sat up on his bed and yawned. He looked at his clock and sighed. The time was 6:15 AM. He wanted to sleep some more. He didn't want to face Lacus or Fllay so early in the morning. He was going to lie down again, but the knock on the door jarred his eyes wide open. Sighing in defeat, he got off the bed, put on his robe, and walked towards the door. With a yawn, he opened the door and saw the pink-haired girl.

"Good morning, Kira!" Lacus beamed at the amethyst-eyed prince.

Kira didn't want to be rude so he presented her with a smile. "Good morning to you too, Lacus. What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready," she replied.

"I see…" Kira said, thinking _is that all? You woke me up just to tell me that? Sigh… _

"Oh, by the way, I'm the one who prepared it," she told him, holding her angelic smile.

"You didn't have to do that." Kira felt a little awkward now. "You're a guest here. You should let the maids do the work."

"But I do the cooking all the time back home," Lacus said.

"Really?"

"I actually love doing house chores."

That was something new to him. He never expected for a rich girl like Lacus to love house chores. He thought all rich girls liked to be pampered, but it was a different story for Lacus. Well, his sister also hated to be pampered and she'd rather live a soldier's life than a princesses'. "Umm… The cooking is fine, but I won't allow you to do any chores, okay?" he said.

Lacus nodded her head. "Don't worry…" She took Kira's hand and squeezed it gently. "Let's go and eat, Kira."

Her action made him blush ten shades of red. His heart was starting to go on a rollercoaster ride again. He just couldn't understand his newly discovered feeling whenever he was with Lacus, especially when she was touching him. He blushed a thousand times when Lacus kept clinging to his arm yesterday at the mall. Now that he thought about it, they really looked like a couple having the time of their lives at the mall. He glanced down the pink-haired angel who was now hauling him down the stairs. He couldn't help but smile at her gentle face.

Unknown to them, Fllay was watching them from the top of the stairs. Her arms were crossed in front of her and she had a grin on her face. "Those two are getting way too close," she said in voice so eerie. _Based on my observations yesterday, I can say that Kira is falling for that naïve girl. I have to do something about this. _With that, Fllay descended down the stairs and went to the dining room to join the two for breakfast.

_Cagalli's Room _

The blonde princess was already awake, which was rather unusual considering that it was only 6:30 AM. She would usually wake up at 7 AM or 8 AM, but not this day. She had just woken up from a terrible dream. It was a dream about Rusty kissing her by the shore. No matter how hard she tried to forget it, Rusty kept popping out of her head. She was so annoyed. She couldn't even kiss Athrun yesterday because of that stupid Rusty.

"If I'll ever see that guy again, I'll make sure he won't live another day," she grumbled, clenching her fists. Well, she wasn't that serious about killing Rusty. She just wanted to let him taste her fists.

There was no use thinking about the carrot head at the moment. She still had some work to do and she had to prepare herself. When she was about to take off her clothes, she heard someone knocking on her door. "Wait a sec!" she said, grabbing her robe and putting it on. She opened the door and saw the dashing Athrun Zala clad in his ORB uniform. "Athrun, hey…"

"Good morning, Cagalli," Athrun greeted her with his cunning smile.

Weird, his smile would always enlighten her even in her darkest and troubled moments. This was one of the reasons why she loved Athrun so much. "Come in, Athrun."

Athrun went inside her room and sat on one of the couches there. Her room was so big that it had a mini-office and a mini-living room there. "I saw Kira having breakfast with those two girls," he said, leaning his cheek on his hand. "He seemed happy."

"That's great," Cagalli replied. She opened her closet and took out her uniform. "You know, Kira looked pretty tired when he got home yesterday. I guess he's not used to hanging around with other girls." She knew that Kira could only put up with her and Miriallia.

"Poor guy…" Athrun sighed. "This whole engagement thing is really tough on him."

"Well, he has to go through with this," the blonde responded nonchalantly, as if she didn't care about her brother. But she was actually worried about his love life as well as his future.

Athrun stood up from his seat and approached Cagalli. He slid his arms around her petite waist and pulled her closer to him. "You still owe me a kiss for our date last night," he said teasingly, as he stared at her with those luscious green eyes. He caressed her cheek gently and brushed off some strands of hair way from her beautiful amber orbs. He loved being so close with her.

"Umm… right…" Cagalli focused her eyes on his chest. She was blushing like hell. She was never good at hiding her emotions. She would always get teased whenever she blushes. Sometimes, she hated the teasing, but sometimes she finds it nice.

"Are you going to grant me one kiss?" he whispered softly into her ear, sending shivers to her spine.

Cagalli looked up at him. Her face was so calm and gentle. She would love to kiss him. "Just one, got that?" she said in a voice almost threatening.

Athrun nodded. Slowly, he leaned closer and closed his eyes. It was the moment he was waiting for. It has been a long time since he last kissed her. "Cagalli…" he muttered her name so lovingly. His heart skipped a beat, but he was happy. He was going to claim her lips when all of a sudden…

"WAIT!" the blonde shouted on his face, causing him to back away.

"Huh? What is it this time?" he asked her, looking a bit annoyed. Unbelievable, he thought. She just ruined a perfect moment.

"Morning breath…" she chuckled nervously. "I don't want you to kiss me if my breath stinks." She put on a smile, a fake one to be exact.

"I don't care. I'm sure your breath doesn't stink anyway," Athrun said, knowing Cagalli was just shy.

"Whatever… I'll kiss you after I get dressed, okay?" Without another word, she rushed into the bathroom and locked the door. Inside, she leaned her back on the door and sighed in frustration. She had done it again. She just wasted another opportunity to kiss Athrun and it was because of Rusty. She had thought about him again when she saw Athrun's face coming closer. It wasn't right anymore.

She held her temple and faced the mirror. She looked at her reflection and cursed herself. She needed to find a way to forget about Rusty. She could never tell Athrun about him. She didn't want to hurt her fiancé. She didn't want to tell Kira either, since the brunette already got his hands full with two girls. She turned the faucet and splashed her face with water. She was so confused. She didn't know what to do.

_Maybe I need to see Rusty once more. _But can she face him without punching him on the face? She kinda doubted it. She was fully aware of her violent nature. She wasn't afraid to speak out her mind or throw tantrums at anyone. If she wanted to meet with him, she had to bring someone along with her and she knew exactly who.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: No kissing again. I'm so sorry Athrun-san! I didn't mean to. Cagalli is just having troubles. I'm planning something drastic for the next chapter. I don't know why, but I just want to. I also love writing about Kira's love dilemma. It's clear that he's falling for Lacus. But Fllay is still there. Okay, that's it for now. Please review and no flaming. I'll update real soon. 


	10. A Person to count on

JC: I'm so busy with school work these days. I sleep very late at night nowadays and I always end up sleeping in class. Thankfully, I can still catch up with my lessons. I managed to find some time to write this. I was thinking about what Cagalli-sama will do if she meets Rusty again. Okay, just read on…

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or the characters.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts **

Phase 10: A Person to count on

Miriallia kept busy around the office for hours now. She had plenty do, and she had promised Kira to take care some of his paper work, which she did, since the representative was busy dating his two fiancées. Miriallia was quite happy that her good friend was finally going somewhere with his love life. Although, she can't help but feel sorry about Kira since the lad was not good with dates or so. Speaking of dates, she wondered if Dearka would visit her soon. She had missed him a lot, though she won't openly admit it.

RING! RING! RING!

The video phone on Kira's desk was ringing. Miriallia turned on the screen and picked up the phone. Much to her surprise, the person that popped on the screen was Dearka.

"Oh, it's you!" the blonde guy said cheerfully with a big smile on his face. He hasn't seen Miriallia for quite a while, so he was pretty happy to see her cute face again. "How's it going? How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," she replied, smiling widely. "Why did you call? Are you looking for Representative Yamato?" Of course, Miriallia remembered to be formal when mentioning Kira to other people, especially soldiers.

"Yeah…" Dearka leaned forward, which made his face a lot bigger on the screen. "You see, our Chairman here is going to pay a visit to ORB again."

"Chairman Rey Za Burrel?" Miriallia took a seat on Kira's huge chair and rested her elbows on the desk. "I see… I'll tell Kira about that later."

"Really? Thanks a lot." Dearka's eyes grew softer as he backed away from the screen. He began fiddling with his fingers. "Umm… I'll be visiting too, Miriallia." He swallowed hard, feeling nervous.

Miriallia's face brightened up so much at what he said. "That's great. I'll be waiting." She cast him a warm smile, making him blush like crazy. Miriallia seemed to notice his hot cheeks, but she didn't dare to ask him about that. She didn't want to embarrass the guy.

"Okay, see ya soon!" Dearka uttered, his body growing stiff. When he saw her warm smile, time seemed to stop for Dearka. Well, he was totally in love with the honey brown-haired girl, so it was natural for him to act that way. Contrary to his playboy looks, he was actually a shy guy when it comes to love.

When Dearka signed off, Miriallia turned the phone off and went back to her paper work. Despite the work laid before her, she was happy. She was going to spend some time with Dearka again soon. She couldn't wait for that day. But she kinda wished Dearka lived in ORB so that she could see him everyday. It was such a hassle to keep talking with him through the phone or internet. Well, she can't do anything about it since the blonde guy's home was in outer space.

_ORB Military Sea Port _

The princess of ORB was in dazed as she stared out to the deep blue sea. With the wind blowing through her golden locks, only one thing clouded her mind. She sighed at the thought, knowing it would be impossible. Hell will break lose if she'll ever meet him again. Cagalli Yula Athha, being the toughest princess that ever walked the planet, possessed great pride. She touched her lips, remembering the time the orange-head kissed it. She had to admit that his lips were so soft and tender, but his kiss was nothing compared to Athrun. Cagalli would prefer Athrun anytime, anyplace.

Cagalli took in a deep breath, savoring the cool sea breeze. She had been standing by the pier for an hour now. She needed to be alone. She had never told anyone about her problem yet. She tried looking for Miriallia, but the war journalist was nowhere to be seen. She wanted to talk to Jean about it, but knowing the red-head, she would probably spill the beans to her loving brother. Kai was another option, but that guy also had a big mouth.

"I've found you at last!" a cheery voice disturbed Cagalli's thoughts.

"Huh?" The princess turned around and saw a fellow blonde girl approaching her. "Stellar?"

Stellar Loussier was clad in her usual pink Earth Alliance Uniform. She would never wear her uniform properly, but it does look good on her. At the very least, Stellar's way of wearing the uniform was way more unique than the other female soldiers of the EA. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Cagalli-san."

"And why?"

"Are you free this weekend?" the younger blonde asked.

"This weekend…? Umm…" Cagalli crossed her arms to think. "Yeah, I'm free."

"Great! Then you don't mind if we go shopping this weekend, huh?"

"S-shopping?" Cagalli dreaded that word. Any girl would love to go shopping, but Cagalli wasn't like any girl. She was different and boyish. She had never liked shopping. She had always described it as boring and a waste of money. But she couldn't say no to Stellar, knowing the young girl would just plead with those puppy dog eyes. "Errr… Okay…" she finally answered.

"Thanks!" Stellar said, thinking _Rusty is going to owe me big! _She let out small giggle and winked an eye at Cagalli. "Let's meet at the Wing Zero Café near the park. Is 9 AM okay with you, Cagalli-san?"

Cagalli nodded her head.

"All right! I'll see ya!" Stellar quickly spun around and ran off. She was happy about her plan. She hoped that Rusty wouldn't ruin it, but she was kind of worried about him.

On the other hand, Cagalli went back to sea gazing. Despite her hate for shopping, she was a bit glad that Stellar invited her to go out. She had nothing to do this weekend, she thought, and it might take her mind off of Rusty.

_Hangar_

"Yo, Zala!" Kai greeted the blue-haired coordinator who just came in. "Didn't expect you to here. Aren't you supposed to be with the princess right now?" he said, smirking teasingly, as he played with the wrench in his hand. He was standing right beside his mobile suit.

Athrun let out a deep sigh, as Kai mentioned the word 'Princess'. He was really down in the dumps. He didn't know what to do with Cagalli anymore. He had been feeling quite distant with her lately. "I think Cagalli is avoiding me," he said it so plainly that it shocked Kai.

"What did you say?!" Kai uttered. He dropped the wrench on the floor and marched up to Athrun. "Why on earth would she do that?" He grabbed Athrun's shoulder and shook him a little. He demanded for an answer.

"I have no idea," Athrun replied sadly.

Kai pushed the blue-haired guy away and folded his arms. "What did you do, Zala?" Kai pointed an accusing finger at Athrun. "Maybe you're cheating on her!" His blue eyes narrowed.

"Me? Cheating?" Athrun was appalled. He would never do such a foolish thing like cheating. He loved Cagalli with his whole heart and he had already proposed to her. They were going to be husband and wife soon for crying out loud! And yet, his blue-eyed friend was accusing him of cheating. "Don't be stupid, Kazuya."

Kai was still suspicious. "Then tell me why she's avoiding you?" His voice sounded a bit eerie and annoying.

It was a good thing that Athrun had an amazing patience. His cool and nice demeanor was very admirable. "I told you, I don't know. Something is bothering Cagalli, I can feel it." Athrun cupped his chin with his hand and focused his emerald-green eyes on the floor. "But it seems that she doesn't want to tell me."

"Have you tried asking her?"

"No…"

The orange-head slapped his own forehead. "Idiot! Why don't you ask her then?!" he yelled out loud, but Athrun covered his ears on time. "Geez, Zala, I thought you were smart." He shrugged.

"Sorry…" Athrun said softly. He had to admit, Kai was right, which was bothersome, but he will never admit that. "I'm gonna ask her later." And he hoped that she won't avoid him.

Kai could see how serious Athrun was through his luscious emerald-green eyes. The guy smiled at this and patted Athrun's shoulder for encouragement. He felt confident in his friend, knowing that Athrun's heart was pure and full of love. But if Athrun ever messed things up with Cagalli, Kai swore to hit him hard on the face. He snickered at the thought. "Just do your best, Zala. If Cagalli breaks up with you, then I'll be more than happy enough to take her." Of course, Kai wasn't being serious when he said that.

Unfortunately, Athrun took it seriously and he immediately cast one deadly glare at Kai. "Don't you dare, Kazuya," he said in an eerie way.

The orange-head swallowed hard and backed a few steps away from Athrun. "I was kidding, Zala! Don't try to kill me, okay?" He laughed to shake off his nervousness. However, Athrun's piercing glare was still scaring the hell out of him. Once again he laughed out loud, making a fool out of himself.

_ORB Mansion _

Athrun came to pick Cagalli up from her workplace that late afternoon, and took her home. She was extremely quiet during the trip, which bothered Athrun a lot. She had never been so quiet before. She would usually start a conversation about how tiring her work was or how she would love to go out on a vacation once in a while. One of her close friends, Miriallia, came to visit her after she got home, and Kira arrived at the same time with Lacus and Fllay.

Cagalli put on her casual clothes and went downstairs. She saw Athrun talking with Kira and the girls in the living room. Frankly, she wasn't in the mood for chatting, but she had to pretend that she was all right. She walked into the living room with a fake smile plastered on her face. Everyone bought her smiling act; however, her brother felt something wrong with her. Let us just say that it was a brother's intuition.

"Fllay-san has a great fashion sense," the pink-haired girl muttered, slightly giggling, as she motioned herself over to Fllay's side. She placed her hands on the red-head's shoulders. "She helped me a lot with shopping. She knows how to pick the right clothes for me."

There was a hint of frustration in Fllay's expression. Truth to be known, Lacus pestered her non-stop during their shopping trip. Fllay didn't want to be rude to her or anything, so she politely helped Lacus with the shopping. She was so relieved when they got home. The happy-go-lucky attitude of the pink-haired girl was really getting on her last nerves.

"Is that so? I bet you bought so many clothes," Miriallia said, shifting her gaze at the brunette representative. "Kira, it looks like your date went well." Miriallia winked a playful eye, causing him to blush madly. She could see that Kira was fairly happy being with the two girls. She just hoped that he would make the right decision in choosing which one to marry.

Kira hid his blush by sipping some tea. After that, he put the teacup down and turned to Cagalli. "How was work today?" he asked.

"Boring as usual…" Cagalli replied in a very bored tone. The paperwork and meetings were nothing new to her. It was always the same.

Judging from the way she answered, Kira was now convinced that something was wrong with Cagalli. His sister would usually make a fuss about her work and stuff like that. He had to find out what was her problem, but knowing Cagalli, she would probably say it's nothing.

Kira wasn't the only one bothered by her reply. Miriallia and Athrun found it unusual too. Miriallia threw a questioning look at the brunette and then at Athrun. It was clearly seen in her aqua-blue eyes that she was beginning to worry.

_Cagalli's Room _

The blonde princess came out of the bathroom, wearing a silk white robe that hugged her curves perfectly. She sat down on her bed and hugged one of her soft feathered pillows. When she heard a knock on the door, she lay down on the bed and covered herself with the blanket. She didn't want to talk or listen to anyone. She wasn't in the mood. She was lucky enough to be able to excuse herself from the girlish conversation of Lacus Clyne and Fllay Alster.

"Cagalli, open up will ya? I know you're still awake," the voice from the other side of the door said.

Annoyed, Cagalli sat up on the bed and threw a pillow at the door. "Leave me alone, Kira!" she growled, lying down again. This time, she hid her head under the pillow and shut her eyes tight. She wished that Kira would go away and let her sleep, as if that was possible.

Kira, being the caring brother, will not give up on his sister. He banged his fist on the door, as if he had plans on breaking it. "Cagalli, there's something bothering you, right?" he said.

Cagalli shrugged._How…? How did he find out? Was I that obvious?! _She wailed in her mind. She grumbled some curses and scratched her head in frustration. She hopped off the bed, stomped towards the door, and opened it for her twin brother. "WHAT?!!" she shouted, looking flustered.

"Took you long enough…" Kira complained, throwing her a concerned look. "Now, Cagalli, tell me what's wrong? You're acting a bit strange."

"It's none of your business, Kira," she retorted as she turned her back at him. She didn't want to face Kira, knowing her facial expressions would give it all away. As a brother, Kira could read her like an open book.

"You can't fool me, Cagalli."

"I guess I have no choice." Cagalli sighed and looked back at Kira. Her eyes were much softer this time. "You won't leave me alone if I don't tell you." She walked up to her bed and sat down. She patted the side of her bed, telling Kira to sit beside her.

"Is this about Athrun?" Kira asked, sitting down on her bed.

Cagalli touched her lips and shook her head. "It's not about him. It's about someone else," she spoke with hesitation. She had to be careful not to shock Kira too much.

"Please tell me that this 'someone' is not a guy."

"I'm sorry, Kira…" Her voice was cracking. Her ambers orbs grew feeble, as she looked up at him. "You see… There's this guy…." Cagalli felt her heart beating so fast. She was nervous, as in, completely nervous. She was afraid of what Kira's reaction after she'll tell him about Rusty.

Kira could see the fear in her beautiful amber eyes. His intuition was right all along; there was something wrong with Cagalli and it seemed she had a big problem with a GUY! Kira was really flabbergasted. He didn't expect his tomboy of a sister to have guy problems. Plus, she already has Athrun to worry about and now this. Nevertheless, Kira was more than willing enough to listen to her and to help her in whatever means possible.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: Kira will finally know about Rusty. Stellar's planned date will be in the next chapter. Let's see how Rusty will apologize to Cagalli. There would be some Kira/Lacus moments in the next chapter too. Be sure to watch for it. I'll update soon. Please leave a review. No flaming, okay? Ja ne!


	11. A Broken Heart

JC: I have already come up with a plot for another AsuCaga fic. I'm going to start writing right away after I finish this sequel. I'm still a die-hard fan of the two. I know you've been waiting for this chapter. Here you go. Please read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED. If I did, I would make Kira kiss Cagalli on the lips. (Joking!!!)

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 11: A Broken Heart

To Kira's profound bewilderment, Cagalli popped out of the bed looking irritated. If it was possible, her enraged amber eyes would probably be boring holes on the floor now. Thoughts of kissing Rusty Mackenzie had nearly made her scream. She'd been in much tighter situations before, but her case with Rusty was rather eccentric and unusual.

His wide amethyst eyes glued to her face made his chest squeeze tight. And when she told him everything about Rusty, he almost fell off the bed. He was really taken by surprise. He would never expect his fierce twin, who was feared by almost all, to be troubled over some guy who kissed her. Wait a minute! The guy kissed, no, stole a kiss from her! Kira pondered over his thoughts as he clenched his fists. Of all the girls in ORB, why did it have to be his sister? Although his sister was oblivious to the fact that she was beautiful, Kira knew very well that a lot of guys in ORB want her. But still there were a lot of pretty girls who are more feminine than Cagalli. His sister was already taken, but Rusty still came along and disturbed Cagalli's life. He wanted to meet Rusty to teach the guy some manners, and to tell him to stay away from his sister. As a brother, he had to look out for his sister. He was someone that she could count on.

"What should I do, Kira?" Desperation edged Cagalli's voice. No way would she let Rusty haunt her dreams forever. He was costing her relationship with Athrun way too much. She cursed him so much. She still had the torture-Rusty-until-he-dies plot in her head, but she was not that cruel. For a tomboy like her, she was very kind-hearted, a fact that was known by Kira and her close friends.

The young representative blinked and took a deep breath to ease his anxiety. "Maybe you should go talk to him," he said. Well, that's the only advice he could think of in a short time. Truth to be known, Kira didn't want his sister to meet with a rude guy again. But there was no other choice. It was better to sort things out by talking—a pacifist way to have a treaty. Unfortunately, Cagalli wasn't the patient one. He could picture Cagalli punching the lights out of Rusty Mackenzie.

Cagalli simply didn't want to go anywhere near Rusty without anyone accompanying her. Besides, she needed someone to stop her from throwing punches at Rusty. "You're right, Kira. I should go talk to him again." She heaved a deep sigh. "But I'm not going to like it."

"How are you going to contact him?"

"I know where he works. I'll just pay him a visit there." Of course, Cagalli got to know Rusty at his workplace. With all his smiles and polite words, Cagalli should've known that he has feelings for her. She didn't notice anything from Rusty. She wasn't actually a romantic-type of girl, but she knew the definition of love. Love was a wonderful feeling to share with the one you cherished the most. She has this feeling whenever she was with Athrun. Her heart screamed only his name and nothing can change that. Not even Rusty, who was straightforward with his feelings, could stand a chance against Athrun Zala.

_In Front of Wing Zero Café _

"This sucks big time," Cagalli muttered under her breath while staring at the delicious pastries displayed in the café. She was clad in a yellow tube top and denim shorts with ribbons and charms. She also wore a jade bangle set on her left wrist and sunglasses to hide her beautiful amber eyes. On top of her head lay her favorite white cap. Cagalli glanced at her watch and gasped. "Weird… It's already 9:15 and yet there's still no sign of Stellar." She knew that her fellow blonde was always an early bird when it comes to gimmicks and shopping.

A welcome breeze skittered over Cagalli, fluttering her silky blonde hair. She slid her sunglasses off and looked up at the sky. It was such a beautiful day. Since she woke up from a great dream this morning, Cagalli's mood was so light. She didn't think of Rusty and his stolen kiss anymore. What was done was done, she said in her mind.

"I can't believe you're here!!!"

Cagalli jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. Abruptly, she turned around and saw the orange-haired person she dreaded to see. She pointed a finger at him. "Y-you!!!" She narrowed her gaze. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Rage fueled her eyes and mind as she planned on strangling him. So much for her good mood, Cagalli cursed in her mind.

Anybody would be afraid of the angry princess, and Rusty felt the intense heat coming from her. He couldn't blame her since it was his fault in the first place for upsetting her. But since he was given the chance to set things right, he needed to treat her all nicely. He had planned out their so-called friendly date the night before. "I'm going to take you on a date," he answered her.

"WHAT??!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She raised her eyebrow, thinking absurdly of the guy. "You must be out of your mind. Have you forgotten what you did to me?!" She knew that the guy was fresh, but she didn't think that he would be a complete moron. She wouldn't go on a date with him even if he was the last man on Earth.

_She's really mad at me. _Rusty felt guilty. He didn't mean to steal a kiss from her. He was just a guy in love.He bowed his head like a true gentleman and held out his hand. "I'm sorry for what I did, Princess Cagalli. I would like to make it up to you by taking you out today." He spoke in a mild-mannered tone.

"Shut it, Mackenzie!" she retorted, firm as ever. She spun on her heels and walked off in a hurry. But the orange-haired guy grabbed her wrist right away, stopping her from leaving. Of course, Cagalli got angrier at him. She pulled her hand away and threw him a nasty glare. "Leave me alone, idiot! I don't want to waste my time with a sorry loser like you!"

Ouch! Her words were very painful, and Rusty felt like he got shot by thousands of arrows. But he was not going to give up on her. He was going to try his best to make the princess forgive him. "Princess, I just want to talk to you. I want to say sorry…"

Because of his words, Cagalli recalled back what Kira told her. _"Maybe you should go talk to him," he said. _She even agreed that Kira was right. Talking would be the only way to resolve her problem. She couldn't stay mad at Rusty forever. She sighed deeply as her eyes softened a little. She took his hand and said, "All right…"

Rusty quickly looked up at her, shocked written on his face. The princess just took his hand! Rusty wanted to jump up and down in excitement, but he knew he would look like a deranged fan if he did that. "Princess, are you serious?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"I'll go out with you not because I want to," Cagalli said harshly as her cheeks flushed pink. She was feeling embarrassed. "And you better not bore me to death, understand?!"

"You are so not going to regret this, Cagalli!!!" Rusty held her gentle hand with both of his hands and smiled widely.

Cagalli stared at their hands before throwing the guy a deadly look. "Don't get to comfortable, idiot," she grumbled. "Don't call me by my name either. I still haven't forgiven you."

"Oh sorry…" He released her hand and chuckled. "How about let's go to this café first? They sell some good cakes here." He pointed at the café in front of them.

Since the blonde princess had been eyeing the pastries inside the café a while ago, she agreed right away. But she didn't want to admit that she has an extreme fondness over sweet things. She also planned to make Rusty pay for everything she'll order.

_ORB Military Headquarters _

"Nii-san, where's the princess?!" the red-haired Jean Zala said as soon as she'd stepped into the cafeteria. Her brother was there sitting on one of the tables having his breakfast. She approached the table and sat down as well.

"It's her day-off today. She's probably at the mansion." Athrun picked the hotdog with the fork and took a bite. He went to work pretty early and he didn't get the chance to have breakfast back at home.

"Mansion?" Jean poked her chin, looking surprised. "But Miriallia-san told me that she saw Cagalli leaving the mansion at 8:30 AM. I was hoping you would know where she went." She stared at her brother keenly.

"Cagalli didn't mention anything to me," Athrun replied, sadness etched across his face. As her fiancé, Cagalli had always told him her plans and schedules. Lately, he felt like he didn't know Cagalli anymore. She wouldn't even let him kiss her. They haven't talk much because of work, and Cagalli seemed to get more restless these days. Athrun was worried. He was beginning to think that Cagalli didn't love him anymore. He hoped his intuition was wrong. If he were to lose Cagalli, he would go crazy.

Jean shrugged. "Nii-san, you love Cagalli-sama, right?"

Athrun stared at her. He had already answered that question a thousand times already. Why would Jean bother to ask him that again? That was weird. He dropped his fork on the plate and sipped a drink from the cup. "Jean, if I didn't love her, then I should not have bothered proposing to her in the first place." He answered calmly like always.

The red-head nodded. She knew how much her brother loved Cagalli. She just felt like asking that question. "You know what?" She rested her elbow on the table and leaned her head against her hand. "Kai told me you were cheating on her." She released a raw sound of frustration.

"Kai?"

"Of course, I didn't believe him." Her glance flew to the hotdog on her brother's plate. She pointed at the food and said, "Are you going to eat that?" She smiled innocently like a little girl.

Athrun pushed the plate towards her. "That Kai…" He made a mental note to shoot Kai later with a Gundam. Speaking of Kai, he did tell Athrun to ask Cagalli about her problems. But it seemed that Athrun wasn't able to talk to her because he felt a little awkward. _Maybe I should ask her a later after work… _He needed to know what was going on with her.

_Head Representative Office_

Kira, exhausted, took a sip of his coffee to ease his sleepiness and then he looked over the papers. He picked up a pen and started signing. Though he seemed to be concentrating on work, his mind was actually on his blonde sister. The fact about Rusty stealing her kiss still bothered him. He didn't know why, but he was kind of jealous. Well, it was pretty normal for an overprotective brother like him to feel that way. Kira settled the papers on the desk and slumped down on his chair. He needed to take a five-minute break before his head will explode.

At the mini-living room of his office, the cheerful pink-haired princess, Lacus, spoke merrily to the somewhat irritated red-haired beauty, Fllay. Lacus seemed to be unaware to the fact that Fllay was cursing under her breath. As the latter sipped her tea, Lacus took a bite of her cookie and threw a soft gaze at Fllay. From Lacus' expression, Fllay guessed that she wanted to ask her something.

"Fllay-san, what do you think of Kira?" Lacus asked, placing her teacup down on the coffee table. She clasped her hands together on her lap as she waited for an answer.

Casually, Fllay crossed her legs and arms. She cast one furious look at Lacus before rolling her eyes away. "He's okay for a guy," she said in a cold tone. "But I don't find him interesting or whatsoever. He's a bit plain." She was always frank and straightforward.

"I think he's nice and wonderful," Lacus said, smiling like angel. She placed a hand on her heart and closed her eyes. "I'm very fond of him now." Her cheeks turned a little pink as the image of the Ultimate coordinator came to her mind.

"If you're so fond of him, why don't you marry him?" Fllay uttered without a care. Sometimes she wondered if Lacus was a natural-born idiot who has the talent of annoying people. All Lacus could ever talk about was Kira whenever they were alone, much to Fllay's dismay. If Kira wasn't the topic, Lacus would talk about her cooking, house chores, and her singing career. Fllay was so sick of it. It was pretty remarkable that she didn't blow up on Lacus yet. It must be Lacus' overwhelming kindness that kept her from picking a fight with her.

"I would love to marry him," Lacus replied and she was serious about it, though her face didn't show it. "But I still have to compete with you." She took a cookie from the platter and bit it.

Right from the start, Fllay never intended to compete or marry anyone. But since Lacus was determined to fight for Kira's love, Fllay thought of something interesting that would really spice things up. And when Kira emerged from his workplace, and looked at them, she smiled maliciously. She quickly turned to Lacus as she put on a kind face. "I would like some more cookies, if you don't mind."

"Really?" Lacus beamed, putting a hand on her cheek. "Just wait here while I'll go get some more!" She stood up, crystal blue eyes sparkling, and ran off to the miniature kitchen. Kira's office was like an apartment if you look at it.

Kira sat down on the couch right next to Fllay. "I hope you didn't get bored while waiting for me," he said, looking apologetically. He had to take the girls out again. It was like his usual routine.

Normally, Fllay would snap or glare at him, but she just smiled heavenly at him this time. "With Clyne-san around, I will never get bored." She felt like throwing up after saying that. Truth to be known, she never met a rich girl who likes doing house chores before. Lacus was really a special case, but she will never admit that to anyone.

"I'm going to take you girls to the orphanage today," Kira said comfortably. He wasn't afraid of Fllay's attitude anymore. In his heart, he knew that Fllay was a kind person. He could say that Fllay was like his sister—someone who hides their gentle nature under a tough façade. But of course, Fllay was more lady-like than the ruthless Cagalli.

It was time to put her plan into action, Fllay thought sinisterly. She took out her handkerchief, when Kira wasn't looking, and dropped it on the floor. "Ah, my handkerchief!" she uttered, pretending to look surprise.

Kira saw the handkerchief on the floor and bent down to pick it up. As Kira touched the handkerchief, Fllay's hand went on top of him. He blushed ten shades of red. Being the shy boy that he was, he accidentally brushed Fllay's hand away and hit her pretty face. Kira was stunned. He couldn't believe he just did that.

"What was that for?!" Angered, Fllay rubbed her soar face and stood up. "You're such an idiot!" she shouted, glaring furiously at the brunette. She was going to walk away when Kira grabbed her wrist. Fllay got more irritated at him. She told him to let go, but Kira wasn't going to let her go until he apologized to her properly. With all her struggling, she tripped on Kira's foot and fell down to the floor, dragging poor Kira along with her.

The pink-haired girl emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of cookies. She walked up to the couch and gasped at a very surprising scene. She turned around, with hands trembling, and settled the tray on top of a medium-sized cabinet. She was blushing hard, embarrassed and hurt at what she saw. She clamped her mouth as she threw a glance at them again. She felt like crying, but she was strong enough to hold her tears in. She lowered her head, hiding her crystal blue eyes under her pink locks, and ran out of the room without a sound.

Lying on the smooth carpeted floor was the two young leaders, with the representative being on top of the girl. Not only was his body pressed against hers, his lips was also savoring her strawberry-flavored lips. He felt a strong sensation, a strong passion, as his heart pumped so hard. He never thought that kissing a girl would give you so much pleasure. But it wasn't his fault for being in that position. When Fllay dragged him down with her, his lips immediately landed on top of hers. He was shocked at first that he wanted to get off of her right away. However, the red-head responded to his kiss, which tempted him to deepen it further.

_ORB Mansion _

Cagalli and Rusty had hanged out most of the day, visited some sights, ate at delicious fast-food joints, said hello to friends, and by the end of the day, Cagalli was ready to hit the hay. Rusty offered a ride to the princess, and at exactly eight-thirty they were driving away from the park. Once they've arrived at the big gates of the Athha Estate, Cagalli hopped off the car and stretched out her arms. A smile was clearly seen on her face. She had to admit that it was fun hanging out with Rusty. She had already forgiven him, and they were back being good friends. Cagalli was happy that her problem was solved. Now she could spend some quality time with Athrun without thinking of Rusty anymore.

"Thanks for the date," Cagalli said, facing him with a strong front. "For a moron, you sure know how to give a girl a good time."

"Do you have to insult me every time you open your mouth?" Rusty didn't know that his princess had a bad mouth. Although it was an interesting discovery, he felt like a degraded being whenever she insulted him. Well, he had no right to correct her in any way, since it was his fault for a making her angry. But he wished that Cagalli would call him by his first name.

"Moron, idiot, stupid and bastard suits you well." With a smirk for a smile, she extended her hand to shake. "And I'm lying…" Her voice trailed off, which caught Rusty's full attention.

"Princess…" Rusty's lips curved into a smile. "Thanks…" He took her hand, but instead of shaking hands with her, he kissed her hand like a true gentleman.

Cagalli's face flushed up like a bright Christmas bulb. What Rusty did totally caught her off-guard. She didn't get angry, though. A kiss on the hand was harmless, and Cagalli knew that it was his way of showing gratitude. "That's enough," she said, pulling her hand away. She walked towards the gate and placed a hand on it. She peered over her shoulders and cast one genuine smile at him. "Don't push your luck, Rusty, or you'll regret it."

At the mere mention of his name, Rusty raised his fist high. "Yes! Finally, you said my name! I was waiting for that all day!" he shouted as he honked the horn.

"You're really a simpleton," Cagalli said, shaking her head slowly. "Just go already before anyone sees you. I don't want others to think that we actually know each other." She took off her sunglasses and cap, turned around and leaned against the gate.

"Yes, ma'am!" Rusty answered cheerfully. "Bye then!" He pushed the metal to the pedal and drove off in blinding speed.

Cagalli stretched out again and yawned. She was getting sleepy. Who wouldn't get tired after a long day with Rusty? That guy had the same energy level as her friend Stellar. She yawned once again as she entered the grounds of her home. But before she could proceed further, she stopped at the sight of a blue-haired coordinator. It was Athrun, and his eyes don't seem to have the usual sparkle in them. Cagalli wondered if he was all right. "Hey there, Athrun!" she greeted happily. Since she was free of problems, she can act normally around Athrun again.

"Who was he?" Athrun said in a low voice, which wasn't enough for the blonde to hear.

"Huh? What did you say?" She took a few steps forward.

Athrun quickly backed away and clenched his fists. "Who was that guy?" There was a hint of rage in his voice. He hid his emerald-green eyes under his bangs.

"Guy? Oh you mean Rusty… Well, he's a—"

"Your new boyfriend?" he said in a sarcastic voice. "You just had date with him, right? Figures… That's why you didn't even bother to tell me your plans for today."

Cagalli's amber orbs grew wide. From the tone of his voice, she knew that Athrun was jealous. It was her first time to see him talking that way. She felt afraid of him. She needed to explain things properly to him before he'll completely misunderstand the situation. Rusty was just a friend to her and Athrun was the one she loved. She was going to tell him that, but Athrun cut her off.

"I'm going home now. Good Night, Cagalli." He walked passed her, as if she wasn't even there. He didn't want to listen to her excuses or explanation. He wanted to be far away from her for now. Yes, he was angry, but he wasn't angry at her. His fury was directed at the orange-haired guy he saw a while ago. He got completely mad when he saw the guy kissing Cagalli's hand. If he had a gun, he had probably shot Rusty already. In addition to that, he could clearly see that Cagalli was comfortable around him. How ironic.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: Chapter 11 done! Rusty and Cagalli are in good terms now. But Athrun saw them together and got jealous. It's normal for a guy to be that way. Athrun is not the only one jealous. Lacus saw Kira kissing Fllay! That's bad. What will happen to them now? Shinn and Stellar moments will be in the next chapter. Please review and no flaming.


	12. A Boyfriend? Not!

JC: Wah! Athrun's jealous! He completely misunderstood Rusty and Cagalli-sama! Thanks, by the way, for the lovely reviews. I know I haven't been updating fast, but I'm still doing my best.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed. It belongs to Sunrise, got that?!

* * *

**Entwined Hearts **

Phase 12: A Boyfriend? Not!

Kira was sitting in the living room, watching TV. He sighed, thinking about his kiss with Fllay yesterday. It was like heaven. Her lips were so soft and so addictive. It took him a few minutes to register what was really happening before he broke the kiss with Fllay. His whole face was as red a tomato and his heart felt like it wanted to jump out. And when he looked at Fllay, anxiety stressed him out. He couldn't look at her properly. He was too embarrassed. His kiss with Fllay was his first kiss. Last night, he couldn't eat dinner and he couldn't sleep. His mind was filled nothing but the images of him and Fllay. What was wrong with him? Was he actually falling for the red-haired girl? He shook his head in dismay. He was unsure of his feelings. He wanted to some advices and he knew where to get them. He flipped open his mobile phone and dialed the numbers.

"Hello, this is Miriallia," the voice of the honey-brown haired girl spoke at the other end of the line. She sounded like she just got out of bed.

"It's me," Kira replied solemnly. He was pretty nervous. Frankly, he didn't know what to say to Miriallia. He was sure that she would be shocked to hear about his first kiss. However, he needed someone to talk to. Miriallia, or Milly in shorter term, was his closest friend and she was a smart girl. "Can you come over right now?" He felt a big lump in throat as he said that.

Miriallia sensed something wrong with her brunette friend. She hopped off the bed and went to the balcony. As she inhaled the fresh morning breeze, she said, "All right… I'll be there in 1 hour." She switched off the phone and threw her gaze at the sky. _I bet it has something to do with those girls, _she silently thought.

"Good… She's coming…" Kira muttered under his breath. He shut the TV off and proceeded to the dining room where he saw his sister playing with her fork. As he approached his chair, he noticed the sad look on Cagalli's face. "Hey, what's the matter?" He took his seat beside her and looked at her with concerned eyes. Something was bothering his sister again. The first thing that came into his mind was Rusty.

"You know what?" Cagalli spoke as she dropped the fork on her plate. "Rusty and I are in good terms now. I went on a friendly date with him yesterday." She lowered her head and clenched her hands on the table.

"That's good but," Kira said, saddened, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "what's with the sad look? Don't tell me he kissed you again?" He sounded a bit irritated when he said that.

Cagalli slowly shook her head. "No… Rusty's not my problem anymore…" She raised her head and turned to her brother. "Kira, Athrun... He…" She couldn't find the right words to say. She was struck by Athrun's words yesterday. Her fiancé actually thought that she and Rusty had a relationship. He was totally wrong. But before she could explain, the soldier left right away. She slapped her forehead, feeling so guilty and miserable. What if Athrun would leave her? She shut her eyes tight, cursing herself mentally.

"Athrun? Why? Did something happen to him?" Kira didn't know what was going on, but he could see that his sister was suffering. He held her shoulders with both hands and gently shook her. "Tell me…"

Cagalli, with slight hesitation in her heart, explained to Kira what happened last night. The image of Athrun's fuming eyes was crystal clear in her head. Somehow his words kept playing over and over in her head again. _"Your new boyfriend?" _Athrun told her that, which completely shocked her. Jealousy was indeed a terrible feeling. She was sad to say that Athrun was jealous of Rusty.

_Zala Residence_

Jean fixed a bowl of ice cream for dessert and went to talk to her brother in the living room. "Nii-san, you want some?" she asked, showing her big brother the bowl of chocolate ice cream.

Athrun glanced up from his book to frown at his little sister. "No," he said dryly, his face completely stoic. He was never like this before, much to Jean's surprise. He didn't want to be this way, but his heart was forcing him to. He was hurt. He was jealous. He never felt so miserable in his entire life. He couldn't believe that his fiancée would actually lie and betray him. Of all the girls in the world, why did it have to be his Cagalli? The Cagalli, the one he admired for so long, had another guy in her heart.

"Nii-san…" Jean's face grew weary as she looked at her brother's tired face. She knew the reason for his sadness and anger, but she can't quite grasp it. The princess she admired would never cheat on her brother, she said to herself. She hoped it was a misunderstanding. She didn't want her brother to break up with her. "Nii-san, are you so sure that the guy you saw was her new boyfriend?"

Athrun didn't reply. He just stared blankly in space as images of Cagalli and Rusty flashed in his mind. He couldn't help but feel more hate towards Rusty. He swore to punch the guy if he ever sees him. He was totally out of character.

Jean couldn't stand her brother's silence any longer. She scooped her ice cream with the spoon and flung it over at Athrun. The ice cream got scattered all over his face. Jean giggled at this. "Nii-san, lighten up!" she exclaimed happily.

Athrun wiped the sticky ice cream off his face, revealing a pair of angry emerald-green eyes. It seemed like he didn't like Jean's prank. He leaped off from the couch, threw his book to the coffee table, and hurriedly left the living room. He was in no mood for talking or playing with his younger sister. He wanted to be alone.

And all Jean wanted was to make her brother smile again. She failed. She thought playing with him will do the trick. She sighed deeply. "Nii-san's really upset… Maybe I should go talk to Cagalli-sama about this…"

She picked up the phone and dialed Cagalli's number. There was ringing and ringing, but there was no answer. She placed the phone back again. She wondered if Cagalli even brought her cell phone to work. She tried again and dialed the numbers in a much faster speed. She really hoped Cagalli would answer her, but the phone just kept on ringing.

"Cagalli-sama…" she muttered, putting the phone down. She slumped down on the couch and looked up at the ceiling, as if there was something interesting there. "Cagalli-sama would never betray my Nii-san." She leaped off the couch, dashed out the living room and went to her room. After a few minutes, she stepped out of the room dressed in her ORB military uniform. It was supposed to be her day off today, but given the circumstances with her brother, she needed to pay the blonde princess a visit for some answers. She was going to find out the truth no matter what. She was going to do it for her brother's sake.

_ORB Military HQ_

The daughter of the Vice Foreign Minister, Fllay Alster, was taking a stroll in the hallways, humming a sweet tune to herself. She was in a good mood, since there was no Lacus Clyne to bother her. Honestly, the pink-haired girl was sweet, but she was freaking annoying. Fllay couldn't stand her, but it doesn't mean she hated her. Fllay simply disliked Lacus for being so-darn-nice! She wasn't anything like Lacus for sure, which made her irritated. To get back at Lacus, she purposely kissed Kira, making it seem like an accident. She knew that Lacus witnessed her first kiss with Kira. It was rather unfortunate for Fllay, since she wasn't able to see the look on Lacus' face before she ran out.

She went into the control room and saluted two soldiers guarding the door. Of course, the soldiers were honored by her presence and greeted her with a proper salute. She gazed around the room as she noticed how hard-working the ORB soldiers were. The soldiers kind of reminded her of her home base, Josh-A. The Earth Alliance also had soldiers as hard-working as ORB. Not only that, the structure of the control room was very similar to the one back home. Somehow, the military atmosphere of ORB made her sad. She had missed her home and her father so much. She was only in ORB because of a stupid promise her father made.

As she left the control room, she spotted Lacus talking to a female soldier in the hallways. She felt her lips curling into a smile. She walked over to the pink-haired girl when Lacus noticed her presence there. Fllay noticed the fake smile on Lacus' face, but she didn't give a damn about it. She knew Lacus was still stinging over the kiss she had with Kira. "Clyne-san, good morning!" she greeted, pretending to be friendly.

"G-Good morning to you to, Fllay-san," Lacus replied in her kind voice before she turned to the soldier. "It was nice talking to you. Thank you so much for the information." She slightly bowed her head, which made the soldier uneasy.

"Oh, don't worry about it…" The soldier said politely as she bowed her head. "It's no problem, Lacus-sama." She saluted at Lacus and Fllay before she spun around and walked away.

"Where were you yesterday? I thought you went into the kitchen to get more cookies for me." Fllay planted her hands on her hips. "Kira and I went to the orphanage. The children there were a lot of fun. You should've been there!"

Lacus' heart sank, but her smile still remained. Clearly she was sad for not being able to spend time with Kira yesterday, but she didn't want Fllay to see a different side of her. She had to keep smiling, so that nobody will question her feelings. "That's too bad. I was kind of busy yesterday."

Fllay knew Lacus was lying. For a kind and sweet girl, Lacus wasn't much of a liar. Fllay could do a better job in lying and deceiving other people. She was not miss sunshine like the pink-haired girl. "I see…" she replied, narrowing her gaze. "Clyne-san, you know what?" Her voice sounded eerie.

"What?!" Lacus' crystal blue eyes were clear and curious.

"Kira and I had our first kiss together!" Fllay said excitedly. She clasped her hands together and stared dreamingly at a certain direction. She was putting up a good act as usual. "His lips were so tender. It was so enthralling." She closed her eyes and sighed.

Lacus' heart was tearing apart. Images of Kira and Fllay's kiss flashed through her mind like a slideshow. She tried so hard to forget about it, but Fllay had to remind her of it. She can't blame her, though, because she thought Fllay was only expressing her feelings about it. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Fllay was doing it all on purpose just to hurt her.

_Downtown _

At every stoplight Athrun considered turning the car around and going back home. But he found himself pulling into the parking lot of Central Park, almost numb to the fact that he was considerably upset. As he caught a glimpse of children playing in the playground, he remembered the times when he and Cagalli used to visit the orphanage. He wondered what it would be like to have children of your own. It must be wonderful, he thought.

As he hopped off his car, he was greeted by a certain orange-haired guy.

"Hey there!"

Athrun scanned the guy from head to toe. "You're that…" He clenched his fists tight and glared at him. He recognized the guy so well. It was the same guy who complimented on Cagalli's singing and the one who kissed Cagalli's hand. It was none other than Rusty Mackenzie.

"You're the princess's fiancé and bodyguard, right?" Rusty perched on the hood of the car and grinned widely at Athrun. "Do you still remember me? We first met at the park where I heard the princess singing. She's a great singer and I really admire her." He was talking like a true fan of Cagalli, unaware that every word coming out of his out was making the blue-haired coordinator mad.

If he was a hot-tempered guy, Athrun would have punched Rusty's face right away. "Mackenzie, what's your relationship with Cagalli?" he questioned him seriously. He could've asked Cagalli about Rusty, but he had no guts to face the princess anymore because of what he did last night.

Rusty scratched his head. "Relationship? Hmm… I guess I'm her boyfriend," he said, laughing lightly.

Athrun's eyes widened. His intuitions were correct after all. No wonder Cagalli doesn't want to be with him anymore, he thought bitterly as she shut his eyes in anger. His heart was raging. He didn't know what to do. Was he going to cry or just walk away from Rusty? No, he can't do that. He shot Rusty a murderous look. "Bastard!" he exclaimed, punching Rusty on the face.

Rusty crumpled to the ground, with a red swollen cheek. He looked up at Athrun, furious and offended. "What the hell was that for?!" he bellowed.

"It's your fault," Athrun muttered, his fists trembling in rage. He blamed Rusty for costing his relationship with Cagalli, for stealing the one he loved away from him. He swore to make Rusty pay for what he did. "Why did you do it? You knew she already had a fiancé and yet you…" He couldn't even stand talking to him. He had the urge to keep hitting Rusty until he's dead.

"Huh? My fault?" Rusty raised a brow. "What are you trying to say?" He stood up, holding his swollen cheek, as he stared confusingly at Athrun. Seriously, he had no idea what his fellow coordinator was talking about, let alone the reason why he punched him in the first place.

"Are you stupid?!" Athrun burst, anger evidently seen in his eyes. "You just said that you're Cagalli's boyfriend!"

Still not getting it, Rusty crossed his arms and sighed in frustration. "Yeah, so what?"

"I can't believe she chose you over me," Athrun said sadly in a low voice this time.

"Huh?"

"It's no use talking to you." Athrun was about to turn when he heard Rusty laughing out loud. He threw his gaze back at him, wondering what was so funny.

"You actually thought that the princess and I were having a relationship?" He bent down, holding his stomach, because it was starting to hurt from his laughing. "You're such an idiot, Zala."

Athrun would love to punch the guy again for insulting him, but he decided to take things peacefully with him. "What's up with you?"

"Zala, you got me all wrong!" Rusty approached Athrun, absolutely forgetting the fact that he got punched by Athrun a while ago. "The princess loves you and only you. I'm nothing but a boyfriend to her," he explained, stressing the word boyfriend.

Athrun's eyebrows twitched. "Boyfriend…"

"Not the boyfriend that's on your mind!" Rusty shouted. "What I meant was…" He let out a raw sound of frustration as he rubbed him temples. He never thought the great Athrun Zala, one of the best soldiers of ORB, would misunderstand such a simple word. Nevertheless, Rusty thought of him as one heck of a guy. Maybe, if it was possible, he could be friends with him. But first, he has to explain everything to Athrun about his true relationship with Cagalli.

"What is it, Mackenzie?" Athrun asked him, getting irritated by the second.

Rusty cleared his throat. "Look, I'm a boy and I'm a friend," he said, patting Athrun's shoulders. "Thus, making me a boyfriend, got that?"

Athrun was dumbfounded. "You mean, you're not Cagalli's—" He pointed a finger at him.

"I'm not her boyfriend! I'm just a boy and a friend!" Rusty quickly interrupted Athrun.

Athrun couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He had totally misunderstood Cagalli and Rusty. He should've asked Cagalli first before jumping to conclusions. He should've known that Cagalli would never betray him. He felt so stupid for ever doubting Cagalli.

_Beach _

Stellar Loussier was playing by the shore. Each time she splashed water around, she giggled merrily like the innocent girl that she was. She was clad in a white two-piece bathing suit with blue floral designs on it. The boys around the place couldn't help but to stare at her. Stellar was really hot and sexy, not to mention, beautiful. She was the apple of every guy's eye there, but Stellar was simply oblivious to the admiration she was getting. She was too busy having fun. She loved the sea more than anything else. It was her haven. She would always feel at peace whenever she was at the beach.

When her tummy grumbled, Stellar stopped her splashing and stared at her tummy. She rubbed it and slightly blushed. She got out of the water, went to her spot, sat down on the beach blanket, and took out a sandwich from the basket. She took a bite out of the sandwich as she glanced back at the sea. "It feels so good to be here," she said to herself.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, two hands covered her eyes, causing her to drop her sandwich. Whoever the person was, Stellar was ready to knock him out with a judo move. But before she could move, the person spoke.

"Guess who?"

Stellar recognized that voice. She quickly smiled and removed his hands from her eyes. "Shinn!" she yelled out as she peered over her shoulders. "You're here!" Her smile grew wider at the sight of Shinn Asuka's ruby eyes. How she missed those eyes!

The raven-haired coordinator was wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue shorts. He was carrying a black knapsack and basket of food. "I'm on vacation now." He placed his things down as he took a seat beside her. He then picked up her sandwich on the blanket and handed it back to her.

"Thanks…" She took another bite.

"I'll be here for a week, isn't that great?"

Stellar almost choked at what he said. She immediately pulled out a bottle of water from the basket, twisted it open, and drank the water. After that, she sighed in relief. "I didn't expect that. Why?"

"The chairman said I could take the week off," Shinn replied awkwardly. He was really happy about the vacation, since he can spend time with Stellar again. He had missed Stellar so much. Back at the PLANT, he would think of her everyday, day and night. He was like an obsessed fan. But he knew he was only like that because he has feelings for Stellar. Indeed, he was aware of his love for the girl.

"One week…" Her voice trailed off as she gave him a knowing look. Her lips curved into a bright smile. "Then we can hang out and do stuff!" she uttered cheerfully.

Shinn nodded. That was exactly what he wanted to do on his vacation. It has been a while since he had a vacation. "Umm… I was wondering if you would…" He stuttered as his cheeks turned red.

"What is it?" Stellar leaned forward until her face was only a few centimeters away from his.

"Ah… Umm… Err…" Shinn didn't know what to say anymore. Stellar was too close for comfort. His heart was pumping so fast. He was having a hard time breathing due to nervousness. He swallowed hard and averted his gaze away from her. "I was wondering… if you would go…out with me…"

Stellar squeezed his shoulder gently. "Of course!" she answered. She would always be obliged to go out with Shinn, because she has grown very fond of him.

Shinn's face brightened. "How about tomorrow?"

"Any day is fine with me!"

"Then it's a date," he said absentmindedly. It took him a few seconds to process what he just said to her. He blushed ten shades of red and shook his head rapidly. "What I mean was… Well, not a date… Just a…"

Stellar had no idea what he was trying to say, but she just smiled at him and held his hand. "A date it is," she said in a soft voice. She cuddled up to Shinn and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I can't wait for tomorrow." She giggled.

Shinn stiffened when Stellar's head touched his shoulder. His face had thoroughly turned red, making him look like a tomato fruit. However, his heart was jumping with joy, because Stellar was being sweet to him. He could probably die and go to heaven at this point. But being with the fragile angel beside him was already heavenly. He felt so lucky to be with Stellar.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: I thought I would never finish this. Lately, I've been down in the dumps. I don't get much idea unlike before. But I'm still willing to continue this story because I'm a loyal fan. The Stellar and Shinn moment here was cute. There will be more in the next chapter. It looks like Rusty has cleared up things for Athrun. There's also the issue with Lacus and Fllay. Who will Kira choose in the end?


	13. A Confession and an Apology

JC: The misunderstanding has been cleared up. Athrun needs to find a way to apologize to Cagalli for his actions. Meanwhile, Stellar and Shinn are heating up. Lacus is still hurt from the kiss between Kira and Lacus.

Disclaimer: I can never own this series. Don't even bother suing me. Bleh!

* * *

**Entwined Hearts **

Phase 13: A Confession and an Apology

Miriallia had just settled into the couch in the living room of the Athha Mansion. Seated right next to her was the Head Representative of ORB who was in deep thought. Miriallia looked worriedly at Kira, thinking that his problem might be bigger than she thought. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm ready to listen," she simply said.

Kira turned to his honey-brown haired friend. He had two problems in his head. One problem was about his kiss with Fllay Alster and the other one was about Cagalli. After listening to Cagalli's explanation a while ago, he felt disappointed in Athrun. It was because Athrun didn't trust Cagalli, which led him to misunderstand the whole situation. He wasn't mad at Athrun, but he did want to tell Athrun not to jumpt to conclusions next time. And then there was the kiss. His heart and mind were actually having a silent war inside his body. He didn't know if he was in love or what.

He voiced out his feelings and thoughts to Miriallia as she listened quietly. Kira would always seek Miriallia's help when it comes to problems he couldn't handle. Unlike him, who was sometimes unsure of himself, Miriallia was a lot more independent and mature. It was great to have a friend like her.

"Basically, you're just confused," Miriallia said after hearing him out. "Tell me something… What do you think of Fllay Alster?"

"Although she can be stubborn and stern, she's really a nice person," Kira replied, blushing. "I think she's great."

"I see…" Miriallia started poking his chest playfully. "Are you falling for her, Kira?" she asked, looking mischievously at him.

Was he really falling for Fllay? "I don't know," he replied, lowering his head. He wasn't sure about his feelings. He had never been in love with any girl before. He was so ignorant about such things. "How could you tell if you're in love?"

Miriallia thought about it for like ten seconds. "It depends on the person," she said, tapping her finger on her chin. "Love isn't an easy thing."

"I guess so…" He leaned back and sighed.

"Kira, how about Lacus Clyne?"

How could he forget the beautiful Lacus Clyne? Of course, Kira thought of her as a great girl too, but she was different from Fllay. While Fllay was snobby, Lacus was a gentle soul. Kira definitely liked Lacus, but only as a friend. At least, that was what he thought. "Lacus… I don't know…"

"Kira, don't get your emotions mix up just because of a kiss," Miriallia strictly said. She doesn't want her best friend to get hurt later. She needed to make sure that Kira would understand the concepts of being in love. It was for Kira's own good.

"But when I kissed Fllay-san," he said as he touched his lips, "it felt so good." He remembered the kiss clearly in his head.

"It was your first kiss after all."

"I know…" Kira turned to face her with a smile. "But I really liked it." He was pretty serious when he said that.

"Don't tell me you fell in love with her because of that kiss?" Miriallia sounded a bit annoyed.

Kira gave her a significant look. "Hmm… No… I think…" He mentally slapped himself for being unsure about everything.

"Please give me a straight answer," Miriallia muttered as she stood from her seat. She placed her hands on her waist and shot Kira one mean stare. "Your future is going to be messed up if you keep this up."

"I'm sorry. It's just that I really don't know."

Mirialla understood how Kira felt and she was ready to support him. After all, she was his friend, his closest friend. Her face softened as she lifted Kira's chin. "Give yourself enough time to think over your feelings," she said in a soft voice. She was acting like a mother giving a good advice to her child. "Don't force yourself into things you don't understand. Love is very complicated."

It was amazing how Miriallia always managed to say the right things to him. Kira nodded his head and flashed a smile. "Thanks…"

"Now then," she said, cupping her chin with her hand. "What's the problem with Cagalli?" She felt alarmed when Kira told her that Athrun and Cagalli were not in good terms anymore. She wondered what was wrong, since Athrun and Cagalli never fought before.

"It's all a big misunderstanding." Kira started explaining to Miriallia about Rusty, Cagalli, and Athrun.

_ORB Military HQ_

Jean Zala had not been able to find Cagalli during lunch. So she spent the hour dropping in on her friends in the military. She went to one after another, casually greeting them and asking them about Cagalli. One after another, her friends told her that they haven't seen the princess. She planned on asking the head representative himself, but Kai informed her that Kira was not yet in his office.

"I've been thinking about Cagalli-sama," she said. "She's not the type of girl who would betray anyone."

Kai snorted and crossed his arms. "The princess will never do that!" he said defensively. As an admirer of Cagalli Yula Athha, Kai thought of her as the perfect girl. His feelings for her were merely admiration now and not love.

Jean's eyes twinkled. "Of course!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "You're right! I should never doubt her."

"So, Jean, who is this so-called boyfriend of the princess?" asked Kai, with a hint of jealousy. He can't picture Cagalli going out with another guy. It was just unbelievable.

"Nii-san didn't tell me his name," Jean answered, leaning against the wall. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed. "You know what? It was my first time to see Nii-san so mad."

Truth to be known, Kai had never seen Athrun getting angry over something before. Even when he and Athrun were still training in the Military Academy, Athrun always had a calm and serene attitude towards others. Athrun was practically the number one cadet in their batch and probably the hottest guy around. Kai had always considered him as a rival in everything. His rivalry with him had ended when Athrun had captured Cagalli's heart. It was painful for Kai, since he had to give up his love for the feisty princess. He had admired her for so long. But he was happy for Cagalli.

"Don't worry, Jean," Kai assured, curving his lips into a smile. He winked an eye and showed her a thumb up. "Zala is not stupid. I'm sure he'll get this problem cleared up soon." And Kai knew that Athrun's love for Cagalli is genuine. Kai was sure that Athrun will never let go of Cagalli no matter what.

Jean sighed. "I guess you're right," she said. She looked up at him and smiled weakly. Even with Kai's assurance, she was still worried for her brother and Cagalli.

Kai raised a brow and scratched the back of his head. From the way Jean looked, he could say that she was still in doubt. There was one way to cheer her up, he thought, and that was to irritate her. He moved closer to her, pulled her by the arm, and slapped her back. "You're being out of character here. Smile a bit!" he said, chuckling hard.

At that moment, Jean shot him a death glare. "Kazuya, who gave you permission to touch me?!" she uttered, balling her hands into fists.

"Now that's the Jean I know," Kai pointed out, still chuckling. "Man, I just love your grumpy face!"

Okay, Jean was convinced that her friend, the annoying Kai Kazuya was a deranged idiot. If it was possible, she could have sent Kai flying off to another planet. But then again, she wasn't that powerful. So, without further ado, she kicked Kai's knee and smacked his head with her hard fist.

Kai flinched and hopped around in pain. He swore that Jean was as strong as an ox. He would love to tease her about her manly strength, but he knew it would cause her to go on a rampage. Kai still valued his life, after all. It was hard to believe that Athrun and Jean were actually related. Aside from the same color of eyes, Athrun and Jean were really different.

"Can't you take a joke, Jean?" Kai said sarcastically after regaining composure. "You sure are violent."

"Sorry for being violent!" Jean retorted, eyebrows twitching in irritation. She was going to hit Kai again, but Kai anticipated her move and grabbed her fist. Jean instantly narrowed her gaze at Kai, sending chills down to his spine. Her emerald-green orbs were so sharp. "Let go of me or else." She threatened him in a dangerous tone.

Kai swallowed hard. "Umm… Okay…" He just wanted to cheer her up, but his actions made her angry. Since she was being scary, Kai immediately released her hand from his grasp. "You look like a monster," he said absentmindedly. It took him a few seconds before he realized what he had said to her.

"A monster, huh?" She pulled him by the ear as she planted a fist on her hip. "Do I look like a monster to you, idiot?" Her voice was getting gruesome and eerie.

"Sorry! Sorry! Ouch!" Kai struggled to break free, but Jean was strong. His poor little ear felt like it was going to rip apart from his body. "Jean, let go! Sorry already!"

"Call me that again and I'll give you more than a fat lip!" She shouted at his ear, rendering him almost deaf, but she didn't care. She pushed him away, spun on her heels, and walked away. She was certainly pissed off at Kai. Besides, she still has to find Cagalli.

Kai rubbed his poor ear and shrugged. "So uncute," he mumbled. But then again, he thought of Jean as a cute girl. Okay, maybe not as cute as Cagalli, but still cute. He didn't know why, but he loved teasing her. They've started becoming close after Athrun got together with Cagalli. He felt rather weird around Jean sometimes.

_Beach _

Cagalli moved like a sleepwalker the next morning. She went to the beach and tried to rest, but she kept thinking about Athrun. Jean came over yesterday and talked to her, saying that Athrun was really in a bad mood. Cagalli felt guiltier than before.

Cagalli sat down on a rock, facing the deep blue sea. The breeze was refreshing and the sun was not too hot. It was a perfect day. She tried to seem cheerful and confident, but sadness still overwhelmed her. She wanted Athrun back. She had missed him very much.

Thinking and sitting there would lead her nowhere. If she wanted Athrun back, she needed to make her move. She was sure that Athrun would probably be at HQ. She jumped off the rock and dusted her pants. When she spun around, she gasped at the sight of her fiancé. "A-Athrun?" she muttered, taking a step backward. She didn't expect him to be here. Knowing Athrun, he would never skip work.

The blue-haired coordinator smiled. "How are you, Cagalli?" he asked.

Strange, she thought, as she stared at him keenly. It seemed to her that Athrun wasn't upset with her anymore. She wondered why. "Athrun, I'm really sorry for not telling you about Rusty," she said solemnly, averting her eyes away from his luscious emerald-green orbs.

"I should be the one saying sorry," he said, leaning over to kiss her.

Cagalli's eyes grew wide. She took two steps backward and held her cheek. She looked at him, noticing the bright smile on his face and a little shade of red on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry for being stupid, Cagalli." He moved his fingers through his hair. "I guess I was jealous of Rusty."

Cagalli wanted to melt with relief. "You've finally realized that it was all a misunderstanding."

He grinned and nodded. He acted so immature for thinking that Cagalli would ever love another guy. He should have trusted Cagalli more. "I met up with Rusty Mackenzie yesterday. He told me everything."

"I hope you didn't hurt him," Cagalli said, raising an elegant eyebrow.

Athrun blinked hard, not sure if he should tell Cagalli what happened between him and Rusty. For being so calm and cool all the time, he sure lost his temper over Rusty. Jealousy was really an ugly thing, he said to himself. "I-I punched him…"

"Hmmm… Did you hit him hard?" Cagalli poked his forehead, forcing him to look at her straightly. "I actually punched him too. It felt really good to do that." She cracked her knuckles and gritted her teeth, as she remembered her kiss with Rusty.

"You're really violent," Athrun blurted out.

"What can I say?" Cagalli folded her arms in front of her chest. "That's my character. Why? Got a problem with it?" She narrowed her amber eyes at the coordinator, giving him the case of the shivers.

Athrun chuckled nervously. "Nope!" He was glad that he and Cagalli were talking normally now. He thought that his apology would be hard, but it turned out way better than he expected. He grasped her hand and squeezed it tightly. His grip was strong and made her tingle. "I'm glad you're still mine."

Her cheeks flushed furiously. "Don't get mushy on me!" she exclaimed, turning her head away. "Remember this, Athrun, you're the only guy for me. You got that?!" Her whole face was turning redder every second.

"Yeah, I'll remember that," Athrun simply said as he snaked his arms around Cagalli's petite waist. "I love you, Cagalli." His voice was so warm and gentle, as if it was food for her soul. He released his grip around her and turned her around. When his eyes met her amber orbs, he brushed through her golden locks, visibly admiring her features. Athrun felt so good to be with her again.

Cagalli's eyes grew soft by his touch. It was relaxing and soothing for her part. Athrun always had ways to comfort her, since he was kind and a gentleman. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head closer to her face. "I love you too…" she muttered with importance.

Athrun lifted her chin and caressed her cheeks. He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Oh, how he longed to kiss her again? It was pure bliss. Her lips were soft, tempting, and oh-so-good. Athrun deepened the kiss more when Cagalli started responding. Both of them closed their eyes in pleasure as they enjoyed their moment together.

_Downtown _

Shinn hadn't really planned out his whole date with Stellar, but he was lucky that Stellar knew exactly where to go at the right time. Shinn struggled to engage in a proper conversation with Stellar, since he was a little nervous around her most of the time. He wasn't much a talker and he couldn't think of any interesting topics to share with her. His knowledge mostly consisted of Mobile Suits, the military, fighting, and wars, since he was an elite soldier.

Hours had flown by, but at the mention of lunch, Shinn realized that he had worked up an appetite. Stellar took him to her favorite fast food restaurant, placed their order at the counter, paid for the food, and went to one of the tables there. He sipped his soda with the straw and munched on his hamburger, while Stellar started eating French Fries.

"Let's go the arcade after this," Stellar suggested, smiling like an angel. She was oblivious to the fact that every smile she presented made Shinn blushed madly. Her cute face was simply adorable to the red-eyed coordinator.

He swallowed his food and nodded. "Stellar, are you fond of games?" he asked.

"I love them!"

Shinn really admired the cheery blonde and her childish attitude. From all the girls he met, Stellar was the most unique one for him. There will never be a boring moment with Stellar around. Shinn took one of the fries and stuffed it into his mouth. "You're from the Earth Alliance, right?"

"Yes," Stellar replied and took a bite out of her burger. "Why?"

"If that's the case, then why do you seem to hang around ORB all the time?"

"It's because of work." She placed her burger down and leaned her cheek against her hand. "And you don't have to know it." She winked an eye and giggled.

"I see…"

"Besides, my relative and my friends are here," Stellar added, motioning her index fingers around. "And I love ORB very much. It's really a great nation."

Shinn nodded in agreement. He shouldn't question her any further, because it would a bother for Stellar's part. So, without a fuss, he quietly ate his lunch with her. After lunch, they went to the arcade center to have some fun.

Shinn and Stellar spend the rest of the afternoon playing at the arcade and shopping at the mall. By the time they got to Shinn's hotel room, they were worn out from carrying the heavy loads of shopping bags filled with new clothes, shoes, and accessories. It had been a hard and fun afternoon for the both of them. They had talked, laughed, and fooled around like children, but they didn't care.

Stellar was lying on Shinn's bed with her eyes closed when Shinn came into the bedroom with a tray of cookies and two cans of soda.

"You want some?" Shinn said. He looked at Stellar sympathetically. "You look worn out, Stellar."

The young blonde opened one eye. "No, I'm just sleepy," she said. "I really enjoyed our date, Shinn."

Shinn smiled. "Me too," he said happily.

Stellar propped herself up on her elbows and thought for a minute. "Hmmm… What should we do tomorrow then?" she asked.

He set down the tray on the bedside table and sat down on the bed. "I don't know," he said as he turned to Stellar.

At that moment, Stellar's cellphone rang. Stellar pulled out her vibrating phone from her pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

Eagerly, Shinn cocked his head, wondering who called her.

It was. "Hi, Jean," Shinn heard Stellar say. He took cookie from the tray, without even looking, and stuffed it into his mouth. He didn't exactly know who Jean was, but he could see that she was a friend of Stellar.

"Eh? Work again?" Stellar pouted in a very cute manner.

Shinn wanted to laugh at her face. Her pouted face was really cute. It made him want to pinch her puffed cheeks. Now that he thought about it, everything about Stellar was cute.

"All right…" Stellar sighed in frustration. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." She hung up and slipped her cellphone back into her pocket.

"What was that about?" Shinn asked, restraining himself from laughing.

Stellar hopped off the bed, her shoulders slumped, feeling lazy. After what Jean told her, she doubted she would ever spend some time with Shinn again. Apparently, her superior officer, Fllay Alster, was ordered to return to the Earth Alliance HQ for an important meeting, and Stellar was assigned to escort her safely back. She told Shinn about it, much to her great disappointment, and she apologized for it.

But Shinn didn't mind it, although it was such a shame. He knew how hard it was to work for the military. It was always busy. You don't get to rest much, especially if you're an elite soldier. "When will you be back?" he asked.

"After one week," Stellar answered, with a gloomy aura surrounding her. She didn't want to leave Shinn. She wanted to be with him for the rest of his vacation days.

Shinn let out a deep sigh. "It can't be helped." He snorted, thinking that the military called in at such a good time for the both of them. Since he won't see Stellar for a week, he felt the need to tell her his feelings. It was now or never. He grabbed her hand as he stood from the bed and pulled her into his a warm embrace. "I'll surely miss you, Stellar," he whispered into her ear.

Stellar's magenta eyes widened. "Wha-Shinn…" Her cheeks turned red in an instant. It took her a few seconds to calm her pounding her heart before she returned his hug. She wrapped her arms around him securely and leaned her head at the crook of his neck. Somehow, she felt really warm and safe in his arms. "Shinn…"

He surveyed her serene expression. Clearly she was being sincere and soft with him. He was right—right for choosing her as the girl to love. He didn't know if he deserved enough to be with her, but he knew he had to let his feelings out. He loved the girl in his arms and he felt happy whenever he was with her. With his heart racing, he caressed the blonde's cheek as he admired her magenta eyes. Her eyes were so innocent and captivating. His sights shifted to her lips—lips so tempting. He leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers.

Stellar was surprised. It was her first time to be kissed by someone. But she was happy at the same time; since her first kiss was with the man she adored and actually loved. She didn't expect Shinn to have the same kind of feelings she had. She felt like crying tears of joy, but she was strong enough to hold her tears.

When Shinn broke the kiss, he groped for words, and Stellar spoke before he could say a word. "I love you!"

Shinn blushed madly at what she said. "I-I…I…" He was stuttering, feeling nervous. He shook his head to loosen up and breathed in deeply. He looked at Stellar compassionately and smiled. "I love you too, Stellar."

Stellar giggled. "Shinn, you look so cute when you blush."

"Hey, don't ever call a guy cute!" he exclaimed, feeling a bit embarrassed. His face was as red as a lobster.

"Sorry," she replied, chuckling.

Shinn pulled a flower from the vase settled on top of the bedside table, threaded it into her soft golden locks, and kissed her again.

**To be continued…**

* * *

JC: Shinn and Stellar are finally together! I love this couple too. They're just so cute. And I really enjoyed writing the AsuCaga part. They've reconciled and they shared a romantic moment together. How sweet! All that's left now is Kira and his two fiancées. Oh wait, there's also Dearka nd Miriallia! I have to get busy. I'll update soon. Don't worry! Please leave a review. No flaming, understand?


	14. An Accidental Trigger to Love

JC: Woah! I'm so sorry for the late update. I can't seem to spend time in front of my computer these days. My second semester just started and it's pretty hectic. Damn it! I've also done some editing to my previous stories. Let's get on with this story then.

Disclaimer: You already know what I'll write here, right?

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 14: An Accidental Trigger to Love

"I didn't realize Kira turned into a complete idiot of love," Cagalli sarcastically said when she phoned Miriallia early the next morning.

At the sound of her voice, Miriallia felt like laughing. It was so like Cagalli to insult her brother like that. "Go easy on him, Cagalli," she said. "It's been tough on him."

"Are you sure his head is still in the right place?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Miriallia had given out a lot of advices to Kira yesterday. She wasn't sure those advices were good enough to solve his problematic love life.

"That Alster has gone back to Josh-A for some important business with her father," Cagalli said, tapping her finger on the phone. "Only the pink-haired girl will be left."

"Kira does seem to be attracted to Lacus Clyne as well," Miriallia said as she sat down on her bed. When she looked at the time she realized that she needed to dress up for work. "We'll discuss this later, Cagalli, okay?"

"Okay, see you soon." Cagalli grunted as she hung up the phone. "Kira should make up his mind soon."

She settled into the seat of her car, turned on the engine, and buckled up. She was about to accelerate when a familiar pink-haired girl came into view. The said girl was running towards Cagalli. "What do you want, Clyne-san?"

It felt strange and a little awkward facing the sister of the man you loved. Lacus had always been an approachable and friendly person; so why was she nervous? She tried to speak up, to ask Cagalli about Kira, but no words came out of her mouth. She lowered her head and sighed.

"I-It's nothing…" Lacus said. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

Before Cagalli could reply, Lacus spun on her heels and ran off. "What's wrong with her?" she asked herself, raising a brow. It was her first time to see such a sad expression on Lacus' face. Something was up, and it had something to do with her brother.

Lacus wandered around the garden while she pondered on her thoughts about Kira and Fllay. She had developed true feelings for Kira. But knowing the fact that Kira was interested in Fllay broke her heart. Kira looked like the kind of guy who would fall for a girl like Fllay instead of a cheerful girl like her.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?"

Lacus looked up at her person who spoke. Her crystal blue eyes widened as she met the gaze of Kira Yamato. "G-Good morning, Kira…" she said, trying to be cheerful. She should be happy for Kira, right? If she loved Kira, she should be happy if he loves Fllay.

He smiled at her. "Good morning, Lacus," he greeted. He walked over to Lacus and stood by her side. "It's a nice day, huh?"

"Yes."

"Fllay left early this morning. I'm going to miss her."

"Me too." Lacus' throat tightened, and she swallowed hard. She glanced at the flower bush, which was full of red roses.

"So this is the first time we'll have a date together," Kira said, setting his amethyst eyes on her. "You and me only…"

She could feel her lips curving into a smile when he said that. Going on a date alone with Kira would be wonderful. But she still wondered about Kira's feelings for Fllay. He did kiss her. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Hmm… I don't know…" Kira cupped his chin and started thinking of a place perfect enough for a date.

Lacus was struck by the ease she felt with Kira. This date, she thought, was maybe the way to find out about Kira's feelings for Fllay. She stood on her toes, leaning forward, and placed one innocent kiss on Kira's cheeks. "I'm sure I'm going to enjoy my time with you again," she said, and then turned towards the door.

Kira watched her going into the mansion, his hand on the cheek she had just kissed. He never expected a kiss from her, so he was really surprised. That simple act made his heart pound so fast.

_Military HQ _

Jean Zala was stunned at Kai's rudeness that she couldn't react for a moment when he carried her. His arms were wrapped around the back of her legs, and her world was literally upside down. "Put me down, idiot!" She punched him in the middle of the back.

"That's so unlady-like, Jean," Kai said sarcastically. The truth was that her punched really hurt him.

Jean punched him a second time, determined to free herself. She struggled, but the orange-haired soldier held her securely. She swore to kill him once she gets down to her feet. She already plotted an evil scheme to humiliate Kai. She insulted him, punched him a couple of times, and wriggled like a worm. Try as she might, though, she couldn't budge him. She had to admit that Kai was strong.

Rather than turning toward the lounge, he headed in the opposite direction, away from the crowd. A few soldiers lingered in the hallway. Surely they would think that he was some kind of pervert.

"This is so embarrassing!" Jean shouted. "Put me down!"

When they reached the parking lot for the military vehicles, she put her down in an ungentlemanly manner, like say, dropping her just like that on the ground. Jean was really frustrated. She stood up and glared dangerously at Kai. "You moron! What's your problem? I was working peacefully until you showed up and dragged me away. Care to explain before I'll kill you!"

Kai didn't respond to her complaints. He just grunted and turned his head to a certain direction. He pointed his finger at something.

Narrowing her emerald-green eyes, she turned to the direction Kai was pointing at. She nearly shrieked when she saw Dearka and Miriallia talking. "When did he get here?" she asked.

"An hour ago," Kai replied.

"If he's here, then it means that Chairman Za Burrel is here too?"

Kai shook his head. He had the chance to talk to Dearka a while ago. Dearka had said that chairman sent him in ORB in advance. The chairman was going to visit ORB the next day.

"They're getting pretty close," Jean said. She could definitely see that Dearka likes Miriallia, but she wasn't sure about Miriallia's feelings. A girl's feelings can be so complicated at times, Jean thought.

Kai grinned. "Of course," he assured. "It won't be long now until those two are officially a couple."

Miriallia, observing Dearka's nervous expression, couldn't help feeling just a little skeptical. Dearka was asking her to go out with him, but he doesn't seem to be happy about it. He couldn't even look at her in the eye. Miriallia didn't want him to feel so jumpy around her all the time.

"So, can you?" Dearka asked, flushing red.

She would love to go out with him. There was no doubt in her mind. "Sure… Don't be late, understand?"

Dearka stood in silence for several seconds, thinking about what Miriallia had just said when it hit him. She was going out with him! Dearka took hold of her hands and shook them up and down. "Thanks! Oh, yeah, I have a surprise for you. It's going to be really special!"

"A surprise, huh?" Miriallia muttered, observing Dearka's enthusiasm. "Then I'll be looking forward to it." She flashed him a genuine smile, which made his heart beat go crazy. Then Miriallia looked at her hands and raised a brow.

Dearka noticed this and quickly released her hands. He laughed nervously and said, "Sorry about that…" He scratched the back of his head. "I better go now…" He spun on his heels and dashed off in a blink of an eye.

When Miriallia turned around, she found Kai and Jean standing side by side while looking at her keenly. Just by looking at her faces Miriallia could tell that they've been eavesdropping on her conversation with Dearka. She folded her arms in front of her chest and shrugged. "What are you two doing here?" she asked sternly.

"Oh, you're going on a date with him!" Jean said happily, flailing her arms up high. "I'm so happy for you, Miriallia-san!"

"I bet that guy is going to confess to you," Kai added, cupping his chin with his right hand.

"I know!" Miriallia moaned. "And I can't wait." She flushed red when she said that. She wasn't dense, so she could clearly tell what Dearka was planning. All along, she knew about Dearka's feelings for her and she was just waiting for Dearka to tell it to her personally.

Kai and Jean stared at her in disbelief. "You know?!"

Miriallia sighed in frustration. "And I'm planning to tell him too," she said, forming a small smile on her pretty face.

_Amusement Park_

"Oh, please, Kira." Lacus smiled sweetly at the brunette representative. She wanted to ride on the Ferris wheel, but Kira didn't want to. He seemed nervous when she kept pleading him like a child. Truth to be known, Kira didn't want to ride the big spinning wheel alone with her, because he felt so darn nervous around her.

Lacus' smile faded, and she looked down at her feet. "Is it because you're afraid of heights?" she muttered, clasping her hands together. "If that's the case, then I won't force you…"

Kira vigorously shook his head. No, he wasn't afraid of heights. He was just afraid of being totally alone with Lacus. _Now she might think I'm a coward… How pathetic, Kira… _

"Let's try the other rides, Kira," Lacus suggested, turning to the bumper cars right across the Ferris wheel.

"Um… Let's take the Ferris wheel," Kira said.

Lacus turned her head back at him and presented a smile. "Are you serious?" Her crystal blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

Kira held his breath and nodded his head. "Yes, I am," he replied.

Hands entwined with one another, Kira and Lacus walked casually up to the Ferris wheel. When one of the operators there opened the door for their cart, the two went in and sat on each side. Lacus was pretty excited about the ride, while Kira was feeling awkward. His cheeks were burning in crimson.

And when the ride was starting, Kira felt like his heart jumped out of its place. He shifted his gaze from his lap to the pink-haired girl before him. He almost gasped when he realized that she was looking straight at him. "Erm… What is it?" he managed to ask.

"Kira, thank you for taking me to the amusement park," Lacus said. "I've never been to one, so this is my first time." She reached for a small box inside her pocket and handed it to Kira.

"A present?" Kira looked doubtfully at the pink box wrapped in blue ribbon before he shifted his amethyst eyes at Lacus. "What for?" he asked. It was definitely not his birthday and it wasn't Valentines Day either. Why was Lacus giving him a present?

"I just want to say thanks by giving you this present," she said, reaching for his hand. "I hope you like it, Kira." She took his hand and placed the box on his palm.

Kira accepted the present. While Lacus watched him, he untied the blue ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful ring with a silver chain necklace. "This is…" He glanced at the pink-haired girl. "You shouldn't have, Lacus."

Lacus slightly frowned at his nonchalant reaction. Wasn't he supposed to be happy with the gift? From what she had heard, the necklace with a ring hanging from it was a popular accessory for close friends and relatives in ORB. "Don't you like it?" she asked.

Kira gave her a significant look and smiled. "I like it very much," he said. But the accessory made him think about Lacus' feelings for him. The ring and the necklace were signs of friendship in ORB. _So does this mean that I'm only a friend to her? _

Lacus could see that there was something bothering Kira and she hoped it wasn't her present. The accessory was just an innocent present, and she didn't mean to upset him. But then she wondered if Kira was thinking about Fllay. Lacus' heart sank as she remembered the kiss between Kira and Fllay.

After the Ferris wheel ride, Kira hardly spoke to Lacus, but they still went on rides like the roller coaster, the merry-go-round, and bumper cars. Lacus tried to look cheerful as much as possible for Kira. But she wished Kira would lighten up. She was starting to feel guilty for giving him the present.

The two of them sat down on a bench near an ice cream stand. They were a bit tired from walking around, and Lacus wanted to have some ice cream. She bought two strawberry ice creams for Kira and herself from the stand and handed one to Kira.

"Lacus, what do you think of the promises and the bet our parents made?" Kira asked all of the sudden.

Finally, Kira was talking to her, but she didn't expect him to ask such a question. "I don't know," she answered. She licked the ice cream and stared at the sky. "I was surprised to hear about that from my father. It's like our relationship is just one big game."

"What will you do if I..." Kira looked so uncomfortable. "What will you do if I choose Fllay in the end?" He pursed his lips and clenched his free hand tight.

Lacus throat tightened. "I-I…" She lowered her head and licked a bit of her ice cream. "I'll be very happy for you and Fllay," she finally answered, showing him a well-toothed smile. Even though it hurts inside, even though she might cry, she still smiled at him like it was nothing.

Kira pursed his lips and sighed. "I see…" He sounded disappointed. _Lacus doesn't have feelings for me after all… _He twitched at the thought.

_To be continued…_

* * *

JC: This is the second to the last chapter, people! The next one is the final one! There will be couple moments there, understand? And you'll finally find out who will Kira choose in the end. I'm sorry if there weren't so much Cagalli or Athrun here. Please review and no flaming!


	15. A Love mix with Surprises

JC: It's been slow for me. I don't get much inspiration these days for this fanfic. But I still managed to finish this. This will be the last chapter for Entwined Hearts. I'm sure you're all excited to find out which girl will Kira choose in the end. And let's find out if Miriallia and Dearka will be a couple. How about Athrun and Cagalli? Of course, they will be having some moments here.

Disclaimer: I only own Jean Zala and Kai Kazuya here. I don't own any of the official GSD characters.

* * *

**Entwined Hearts**

Phase 15: A Love mix with Surprises

On the next day, Cagalli came thundering down the stairs to find her brother in the dining room. She had a little talk with Lacus yesterday after they came home from their date. She found out that Kira seemed to be quite distant from Lacus ever since she gave him the necklace and the ring. Cagalli had thought of the possibility of a misunderstanding, and she wanted to fix things up for Kira. She took a seat beside him and eyed him with concern. It was irritating to see Kira so down in the dumps as he stared at his breakfast.

"What the hell is wrong with you now?" Cagalli asked, looking like a mature woman, and Kira faintly smiled at her. She cocked up a brow and slammed a fist on the table. "Don't give me that stupid look, Kira!"

"Lacus doesn't have feelings for me," Kira said after he dropped his fork and spoon. He had no appetite to eat breakfast. "Yesterday, I realized that I probably love her." He stared at his sister as he pursed his lips. For him, dealing with love was like dealing with an army of mobile suits. Lacus' kiss, her smile, and her gentleness had great impacts on him. If it weren't for yesterday, he wouldn't have guessed his true feelings for the pink-haired girl. What he had for Fllay was simply admiration. Nothing more and nothing less, just admiration, he thought.

"Probably?" Cagalli shrugged and crossed her arms. "Can't you be more specific or do I have to hit you hard on the head? Do you really love Lacus Clyne? Tell me right now or else…" She showed him a fist as a threat. Trust Cagalli Yula Athha to be so demanding all the time. That was her nature. Cagalli was always the violent twin, while Kira was the peaceful one.

Kira stood up then, and there was a blank look on his face as he walked out of the room. His feelings were mixed up in a whirlpool of confusion. Cagalli followed him to next room, grabbed his wrist, and forced him to look at her. Kira had no guts to look straight into her amber orbs, because he felt rather pathetic at the moment. He stayed quiet for a long time, with Cagalli staring at him, getting more worried.

"Answer me, Kira," Cagalli demanded. "I mean it."

"I-I… Lacus is like…" Kira took a deep breath. He didn't know what to say. He thought back of the wonderful times he spent with Lacus. The pink-haired girl had the talent of making people smile. There were no dull moments when you're with Lacus. And with her angelic face in his head, his lips curved into a genuine smile. He faced Cagalli more sincerely now. "I do love her. I love Lacus Clyne."

"Are you sure about that?" Cagalli asked with a look of amusement.

Kira nodded. "Definitely…" With that answer, he earned a good slap on the back by Cagalli. He coughed out twice before he turned to his sister again. "What did you do that for?" He seemed to be pouting like a little cute boy, and Cagalli couldn't help but laugh. Of course, Kira got annoyed, but not angry.

"Did you hear that?" Cagalli said, looking at some person behind Kira. "I bet you're happy now." She winked an eye and placed her hands on her hips.

"What the—who is it?" As the brunette representative turned around, he saw the teary-eyed expression of the songstress. "L-Lacus?" he gasped with a surprised look on his face. He couldn't believe his eyes. Lacus Clyne was there and she probably heard his words a while ago. Because of this, Kira got so embarrassed that his cheeks turned red in an instant. Why wasn't he able to sense her presence there? He was careless at that point.

Cagalli let out a soft giggle. "I'll leave you two to chat, okay?" She walked out of the room after she patted Kira's shoulder for good luck.

"Kira, is it true that you—" Lacus swallowed hard, taking a step forward. Her crystal blue eyes were searching his keenly. She tried telling herself to calm down, but her heart was pounding so fast. "Tell me, Kira…" Her eyes were near tears.

Kira didn't know what to do. After all, he practically and indirectly expressed his feelings for her. "I…Well…" It wasn't the good time to stutter or to make excuses to her. He needed this time to be frank with her. "I love you," he finally said it. And he could tell that he must've looked pretty stupid to her.

"Oh…my…" Lacus whispered, a soft sob broke from her, and she pushed herself to him with such force that it left Kira breathless, and then she pulled slowly away from him and looked up at him, smiling. "I love you too, Kira." Her cheeks were slightly pink and her crystal blue eyes were shimmering brightly.

And at that sweet moment, a new couple was born and it was a love between the Head Representative of ORB and the pink-haired princess of Scandinavia. Kira had made up his mind and heart and chose Lacus in the end. This marked the end of the gamble between Vice-Foreign Minister Alster and Siegel Clyne.

_Doughnut Shop_

Miriallia perched on a bar stool and watched Dearka sipped his drink. She just felt like observing the blonde guy. She wondered what kind of surprise he had in store for her. She hoped it wouldn't be disappointing. She definitely didn't want any mishaps on their special day either. But being with Dearka was always fun. Well, one thing for sure, Dearka Elthman was a funny guy, and he never fails to crack up a joke. Miriallia liked that part about him.

Suddenly something flew through the air and hit Dearka smack on the head. "What the hell?" he groaned. He looked down and saw a doughnut hole on the floor. He figured that it was the thing that hit his head. Then he turned around to see who threw it. "You? What the hell are you doing here, Yzak?" He pointed a finger at his silver-haired best friend.

"Don't trust this guy," Yzak said, looking at Miriallia seriously. "He's a nutcase, believe me." He was always the sarcastic type and his hot temper was completely compatible with Dearka's carefree attitude.

Dearka shook his head vigorously. He was not a nutcase. "I don't have time for your insults, Yzak," he said, keeping his cool as usual. "And why don't you go away? If you must know, we're dating here." He took a doughnut and stuffed it into his mouth.

"I can see that, stupid." Yzak shrugged. "You don't have to tell me."

Miriallia had always known about Yzak Joule. Dearka has the knack of bringing his best friend up during their conversations. Even though they didn't get along, Miriallia knew how much they care for each other. Men were not frank with their own feelings and they tend to hide it especially from girls.

After Yzak placed his take-out order, he shot one deadly glare at Dearka and turned to Miriallia. "I'm warning you. Don't get too cozy with this guy. He's a complete idiot." His voice was harsh and cold. It was hard to believe that Yzak was Dearka's friend. And after he said that, Dearka just pouted silently without making anymore comebacks. Smirking, Yzak left the doughnut shop.

"That Yzak…" Dearka grumbled before he sighed in relief. It was a good thing that Yzak was gone. Now he could resume his date with Miriallia. He finished his doughnuts and drink in a split second, and bolted up from his seat, feeling excited. "We've got a long day ahead of us. I'll try not to bore the hell out of you."

She smiled at him. "All right," she replied and stood up as well. But before she could take a step forward, she saw Dearka offering his hand to her. Miriallia looked up at him and saw the blush on his face. She couldn't help giggling, but she was really flattered with his simple act of a gentleman. She gladly took his hand and pulled herself closer to him. It was not the time to be shy around him. Truly she has feelings for the blonde dude, but she wanted Dearka to be the first one to confess.

Oh, yeah, Dearka was blushing madly, but he didn't care. He was, in fact, happy that the girl of his dreams was so close to him. He tried to look composed as much as possible. "Let's go," he said, almost stiffly.

Dearka and Miriallia walked out to his car, and Miriallia climbed into the passenger seat. She buckled up as he started the car. She looked at him with enthusiasm, knowing how nervous he felt around her. "Try to relax… I'm not going to bite," she murmured, smiling at him.

Dearka didn't know what to say; he was glad that he was driving so he could stare straight ahead. He felt shy and awkward now. He wasn't being his usual outgoing self. Miriallia was the girl of his dreams after all, and he loved her dearly. He had planned a big surprise for her later. "So… Have you gone out with others guys before?" he asked suddenly just to ease the tension.

"Do you mean, 'out' as in leaving the house with a guy or as in dating?" Miriallia pointed out.

"As in dating."

"No. But I have gone out with Kira lots of time since he is my close friend. We've been together for such a long time. I never thought of dating guys before. I didn't have the time. I was too focused on work." Miriallia was a hard worker. She was always organized and collected, and she never seemed to give up. She brightened up each day with a smile on her face. She was also a friend that Kira could count on. Miriallia was definitely a sweet girl with unique qualities.

For the rest of the ride, Dearka kept stealing glances at Miriallia. He turned the car into the parking lot of the mall so they could go window shopping at the mall.

_Hotel_

"What happened to Stellar Loussier?" Rey Za Burrel, PLANT Supreme Chairman, asked his bodyguard who was standing idly by the window. Rey was currently sitting on a couch with a novel in his hands. "I haven't seen her for a while."

"She's at Josh-A right now," Shinn answered, placing a hand against the window. "She was assigned to escort Fllay Alster back for an important meeting with Vice-Foreign Minister George Alster." Rey motioned over to his side, but Shinn didn't budge or even look at him.

"You miss her a lot," Rey mumbled, smirking. He knew very well that Shinn and Stellar already became a couple. He was happy for Shinn, since he knew the importance of love. He had once loved Cagalli more than a friend. But those feelings now are nothing more than friendship. Of course, his friendship with Cagalli was one of his treasured things in life and he would never give it up.

Shinn merely nodded his head. Yes, he missed Stellar a lot, even though she had been gone for only a day. As he slumped down on the couch, his cell phone rang all of a sudden. Shinn jumped off from his seat, flipped his phone open and answered it. "Hello. This is Shinn Asuka speaking."

"Shinn?" an innocent and girly voice spoke at the other end. Shinn recognized that voice so well. That voice belonged to none other than his girlfriend, Stellar Loussier. "Hey, Shinn! I really miss you!"

The young coordinator blushed at her voice as Rey smirked widely, amused at the sight of his bodyguard's face. Shinn grasped his phone tightly and said, "Stellar, how are you?" It felt so good to be talking to her. How he wished he could hold her in his arms at the moment. But it was fairly impossible, considering that Stellar was in Josh-A and Shinn was in ORB for vacation.

"I'm fine! I'll be going back way earlier than expected."

"Really?" Shinn beamed with excitement. "When?"

"Tomorrow," Stellar said cheerfully.

And the smile on Shinn's face became wider. "Then I'll be picking you up. I'll wait for you, okay?"

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow, Shinn! Love you!" With those words, she hung up the phone.

Shinn pressed a button his phone and flipped it closed. He then placed it back in his pocket. "I can see her again!" he uttered, his hands balling into a fist. He turned to the blonde chairman, with his crimson eyes shimmering. Shinn Asuka may be a bodyguard and a top elite soldier of ZAFT, but he can sometimes act childish and brash.

Rey laughed lightly. "Good for you, Shinn." He then sat back on the couch and placed the book on his lap. He flipped the book open to the page where he stopped. "Tell me more about Miss Loussier, Shinn. She seems to be an interesting girl." Rey had met Stellar Loussier before, but he never got the chance to get acquainted.

An awkward moment of silence followed. Shinn slipped his hands into his jean's pockets, pretending to look composed. What can he say about Stellar? One thing for sure, he can say a lot of good things about her. He doesn't know where to start. But since Rey wanted to know, he figured that he should start with her personality. For a little while he stared at the buildings through the window. Then he turned to face Rey. "She's really sweet and innocent. But don't be deceived by her appearance. She's stronger than she looks, and I mean it." Shinn had once witnessed Stellar beating the crap out of five men who were trying to molest her at the park. Sure, he had seen female soldiers that can fight, but he had never seen a girl who can viciously hurt her opponents in one snap. He was really impressed with Stellar's fighting skills. Maybe she was physically stronger than him and he hoped it wasn't true.

Rey listened carefully as Shinn continued his talk about Stellar. Every word that Shinn muttered was evidently true about Stellar, and Rey could see how sincere he looked. It was true love. Shinn was dedicated to love Stellar forever. Rey wondered if he could ever find a girl to love as well. He already lost his love for Cagalli. Who knows? Maybe there is a girl waiting for him somewhere. He hoped he could meet her soon.

"Shinn, why don't you go buy a gift for her?" Rey suggested who started reading his book again.

"A gift?" Shinn raised a brow at him. "You know, it's kinda strange of you to be suggesting this kind of thing. Are you sick or something?" There was sarcasm in his voice, but Rey didn't care.

"Girls love getting presents. I'm sure Stellar would love a stuffed toy or an accessory."

Shinn cupped his chin and started imagining Stellar with a cute teddy bear in her arms. "It's not a bad idea at all." And when he pictured Stellar's adorable smile, he suddenly blushed and shook his head in dismay. "Okay then…" He marched over to the door and held the knob.

"Make sure you buy a good one," Rey said, without taking his sapphire eyes from the book.

"Don't worry about it," Shinn assured, tapping his fist against his chest. "I know the perfect gift for Stellar." After saying that, he left the hotel room to buy the gift for his beloved one.

_Downtown _

After shopping at the mall, they drove in Dearka's car to the movie theater, where they saw a Walt Disney Romantic Comedy Movie. Miriallia and Dearka laughed so hard their stomach ached.

"Let's get something to eat," Dearka suggested as they were leaving the theater.

"If my stomach can handle it," Miriallia said.

"All those funny scenes can be dangerous to your health." Dearka laced his fingers through hers. The movie had put them both in good moods. "The prince sure does a great impression. He's like a nutcase in love," commented Dearka.

"Yeah, just like you," replied Miriallia, slightly giggling.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Dearka asked, a bit pouting though he managed to stay cool.

Miriallia slowly shook her head. "No, sorry… Forget what I said… Teehee…" She giggled sweetly again, and Dearka simply blushed at the sight of her smiles and laughter.

They lingered at the ice-cream parlor, recalling some of the funnier scenes of the movie. As they drove back to Miriallia's home, Miriallia was glad that the date turned out well. Dearka was such a funny guy and she certainly enjoyed her time with him. But it seemed that Dearka had no intentions of confessing his feelings to her. Miriallia felt a little disappointed. Of course, she knew it was foolish to think that way. She wanted Dearka to take it easy. She was asking for much. Guys also know how to do it slowly and carefully, so she shouldn't be selfish when it comes to love and desires. Although she can read Dearka like an open book, she was still willing to wait for him until the right time.

Dearka stopped his car in the parking lot. After they got out of the car, he turned to her. For the first time that day, his face was serious. He traced her nose with his finger and moved it along her cheekbone to stroke her brown locks. He cleared his throat, and Miriallia knew he was going to say something important. Perhaps he would finally confess.

"Oh yeah, what about the surprise, Dearka?" she asked, looking curiously at him.

"I love you, Miriallia." That was his surprise—a confession!

Her heart skipped a beat. She was actually ready to hear that, but she still seemed shocked. She had been expecting some dilly-dallying with his words and not 'I love you' right away. It was too unbelievable that Dearka, without a doubt, confessed!

"You do?" she responded, pretending not to know anything.

"Yes…" He stroked her hair more and gazed into her aqua blue eyes deeply. "How do you feel about me?"

Her skin turned cold under his stare. How did she feel? Well, that was obvious for her. "I do—too…" she muttered softly.

"What? What did you say?" Dearka leaned a little forward, since she spoke in a low voice.

Miriallia was silent for a moment. "I love you too, Dearka," she said in a firm voice this time.

He jumped up and down like a little boy and whirled around a couple of times before he faced Miriallia again. "T-That's… That's great! Woah! You love me back! I can't believe this!" He kissed her forehead, and they stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Dearka had one big goofy smile on his handsome face, while Miriallia had one shy smile.

"Dearka, promise me that that you'll be a good boyfriend, okay?" Miriallia said, touching his cheek with her soft hand. "If you betray me, there will be consequences." She spoke with a cute face, but her aura was really threatening for Dearka he unintentionally swallowed hard.

Like an obedient dog, he nodded his head. "I will never do that." Then he squeezed her shoulder gently. "I won't hurt you. I promise." He grinned and kissed her on the lips. She deepened the kiss even more as she closed her eyes, shocking Dearka to the fullest. He had to admit that his new girlfriend was an awesome kisser.

_ORB Military HQ_

It was a quiet plane ride. Fllay Alster talked for a while to the blonde girl next to her, who happened to be her bodyguard, Stellar Loussier, and read some fashion magazines. As they drew closer to ORB, Fllay turned to the window to gaze down at the magnificent headquarters of the neutral nation. During the flight Kira's and Lacus' faces surfaced in her thoughts every few minutes. She could hear their voices as plainly as if they were right beside her.

The plane landed swiftly and as soon as it came to a stop, soldiers marched up to the plane in a straight line and positioned themselves before the staircase. It was only proper to greet the daughter of the Vice-Foreign Minister. Kira, Lacus, and Cagalli were there, as well, waiting for Fllay to come out.

Fllay felt bitter as soon as she started walking from her seat. She shouldn't have eaten that pudding, which was served to her during the plane ride. Her stomach was churning. Despite the rumblings of her stomach, she stood with composure and walked out of the plane. Stellar followed her, as Fllay descended the stairs looking beautiful and sophisticated as ever.

"It's nice to have you back, Fllay Alster," Kira said, taking hold of Lacus' hand. He was ready to tell Fllay the big news about him and Lacus. He hoped that Fllay wouldn't take it personally.

The red-haired girl stared at him in astonishment the second she saw their hands intertwined. A small smile crept on her face as she placed a hand on her hips. "My… It seems like a lot has happened while I was gone." She motioned over to Lacus and placed her hands on her shoulder. "Lacus Clyne, congratulations. You're in good hands with Kira here." She winked a playful eye at the pink-haired girl.

"Y-you're not mad?" Kira said, swallowing hard.

"I thought you like Kira too," Lacus added.

"Nope!" Fllay replied right away. "I'm actually happy. Finally this stupid bet is over! I can't wait to tell my father about this."

Kira and Lacus looked at her with confusion. Why was Fllay talking like she didn't care at all? Didn't she and Kira kiss before? So, that kiss meant nothing to her? And Kira thought she had feelings for him. He was wrong about that.

"I had no intentions of winning in the first place," Fllay said, crossing her arms. "And that kiss? Well… I only did that to make her jealous." She pointed at Lacus, who clearly was shocked. Kira was a good friend and a nice guy, but she can never learn to love him. Her heart wasn't ready to tackle romance yet. She still had a lot of things to do before settling down and have kids.

"You played this little matchmaker just for them, right?" Stellar asked, clasping her hands together.

Fllay nodded. "Yeah… And it's because these two are too darn slow. I had to do something." She grabbed Lacus' and Kira's hands. "Besides, you two look good together." She plainly smiled and entwined her hands together to prove her point.

Stellar and Cagalli giggled as Lacus and Kira lightly blushed. Fllay had a triumphant look on her face, contented that the twosome were a couple at last. And thanks to that, she was free from the bet. No more engagement! No more fiancé! No more deals!

_Beach _

It was a cold night in May. The full moon was glowing beautifully, emitting its radiance upon the earth. The deep blue sea water held its reflection making the sea picture perfect. Athrun and Cagalli had reached the beach house occupied by Captain Murrue Ramius, and Cagalli sank down to the steps and sat. She took several deep breaths. She and Athrun, by the way, went out for a long jog near the shore. It was a good exercise, which they fairly needed since they were always working with papers and reports. Cagalli was the one who suggested the jog, and Athrun had no choice but to come along. He was pretty tired too, but not as tired as Cagalli.

Athrun sat beside her and held her hand. "You okay?"

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah… I haven't jog for a long time." She shifted her eyes at the dazzling deep blue sea and smiled. "Being here is just great." She closed her eyes as she felt the cool sea breeze passing by. Her blonde hair swayed elegantly with the wind. She was wearing short shorts and a sky-blue tank top, along with a pair of white sneakers.

The blue-haired coordinator relaxed. He was clad in a simple red shirt, blue shorts, and black strapped sandals. He stroked Cagalli's hand and looked down at the sand. He then noticed a little crab coming out of the sand. Athrun picked it up careful not to let it pinch him and showed it to Cagalli. "Hey, look at this…"

"What?" Cagalli turned her head and looked at the crab on Athrun's palm. Her lips quickly curved into one simple smile. The little crab was definitely adorable. "It's cute."

"Yah, like you," Athrun said, giggling, and Cagalli turned red instantly. "What I'm saying is true, Cagalli."

Cagalli spoke quickly, her voice tense. "Stop messing with me. I know you're only forced to say that." She tried to stand up, but she was pulled back by Athrun. "What's the big idea?!" she uttered, shooting a dagger glare at him. She was going to spout more words at him when Athrun suddenly cupped her chin and kissed her lips. She was so stunned that she couldn't even react. She just stared at him with a shocked look in her amber eyes.

After a few seconds, Athrun broke the kiss and pulled his face away from her. He gazed upon the blonde with love and compassion, feeling so lucky to have her by his side. He wanted to laugh at her adorable and blushing face, but he held it back, knowing how bad-tempered Cagalli can be. "You want another?" he asked.

Swallowing hard, she shook her head vigorously and turned away from him. "IDIOT!" she grumbled, folding her arms. "Can you stop surprising me by kissing me? It's giving me a heart attack!" And she was right about that. Her heart wanted to jump out because of the kiss—a very sweet kiss.

He bravely leaned forward and encircled his arms around her petite waist. He placed his mouth near her ear and released one hot breath against her skin. Cagalli could feel her hair standing up due to his breath. "Cagalli, I know you like it." He just loved teasing her, and Cagalli was prone to such sweet moments.

Cagalli pinched his nose and pushed his face back. "Shut up. Things are getting itchy for me." She scratched the tip of her nose with her finger.

"Okay," he said, pulling something out of his pocket. He stood with his back facing her, his face flushed with happiness. In his right hand he held a golden necklace with a heart-shaped pendant with an amber gem in the middle. He just happened to see the pendant while he was out doing a stroll around downtown. He figured it would look good on Cagalli, so he bought it at a high price. Money wasn't important to him, because he wanted to make Cagalli happy. "Here…" He carefully placed the necklace around Cagalli's neck.

"What the—" Cagalli held the pendant in her hand and stared at it for a while. It was really a beautiful pendant and the amber orb in the middle had the same hue as her eyes. She looked up at Athrun and threw him a smile. "Thanks… But what's this for? I mean… I don't think today is special."

As usual, Cagalli forgot what day it was, because of her endless work in ORB. But Athrun didn't seem too disappointed. He was still smiling. He gave her one peck on the cheek and pulled her to a hug. "Silly… happy birthday," he whispered softly in her ear. And when he heard her gasp, he giggled and said, "So now you remember…"

"I-I'm sorry…" She spoke back, pulling away to look at his face, which possessed the charms of a prince. "I can't believe I forgot…" For a moment she thought back of the things that happened between them. There were all such wonderful memories. Just then, the thought about her birthday made her jumpy. "AH! It's Kira's birthday too! Oh no! I don't have a present!"

"Calm down, Cagalli," Athrun said, patting her shoulders. "I'm sure Kira doesn't know what today is too."

Cagalli looked at him with amusement. "Seriously?"

"Yeah… Honestly, you twins can be so forgetful."

Cagalli shrugged and turned away. "Sorry for being forgetful," she said grumpily. She heaved a sigh. "Today is my birthday and I didn't prepare anything." A party would be nice together with a large cake and a feast fit for a king. She should've paid more attention to the dates. Forgetting your own birthday was just plain wrong. She had her work to blame.

"It's all right…" Athrun touched her hair again and pulled her gently toward him, covering her lips with his. Cagalli melted at this touch—she felt like butter in his strong arms. "Happy Birthday again, Cagalli," Athrun whispered into her hair, and she smiled.

"Thanks," she said, not wanting to part with him. She looked up, her eyes full of love, and muttered those three important words to him. Again, his mouth met hers. She was caught up with the power of his kiss over her, making her feel suddenly warm and fuzzy.

"Get a room," someone said all of the sudden.

The couple quickly parted their lips and stared to the direction of the voice. Both gasped at the sight of an irritated Kira and a smiling Lacus. Let's not forget that Kira was a protective brother.

"Kira?" Cagalli pulled herself away from Athrun and approached her brother. "What are you two doing here?"

Kira's expression changed from irritated to serene. "Lacus wanted to come here, so I brought her here," he replied, turning to Lacus. The pink-haired girl was officially his fiancée. He could imagine a whole life with her. If he was more than ready, then he'll surely marry her and have kids. For now he was happy at the fact that Lacus was his.

"The beach here is so nice," Lacus said in her usual soft and cheerful voice. The way she talked and the way she moved were all elegant. She was fitted to be a princess. Plus, the white summer dress she wore really brought out her angelic features.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Rusty interrupted the group, who suddenly popped up behind Cagalli. Where he came from? Well, that was a mystery. As always, Rusty still looked energetic and merry, and the way he smiled was breath-taking.

Athrun and Cagalli grimaced at the sight of him, while Kira and Lacus got surprised. Cagalli, especially, felt queasy with Rusty being there. She specifically didn't give information about the beach house to Rusty before, so why was he there with them? It was suspicious, so Cagalli threw him a hard glare.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, princess," Rusty said, chuckling. "It's scary."

That earned him a good smack on the head by Cagalli. "I told you not to call me princess!" she yelled at him, almost rendering him deaf.

"You didn't have to hit me," Rusty whined, rubbing his poor head in the process.

"Moron…" she grumbled, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Anyway, why don't we go inside?" Rusty suggested, lifting a finger up. "Murrue-san prepared some hot chocolate for us."

"You know Murrue-san?" Kira asked.

"Sort of… Just met her yesterday," Rusty replied, grabbing Kira's and Cagalli's hand. "Now let's go!" He practically dragged the twins towards the door and almost pushed their faces towards the hard wood. Of course, the twins got rather annoyed for what he did. But Rusty didn't seem to be worried. He had this suspicious and cheery smile on his face. Something was up and the twins could tell.

"It's getting chilly here," Lacus said, rubbing her two hands together. "Let's hurry inside, Kira." She wrapped her arms around Kira's arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah… I wanna sit down," Athrun added, walking over to Cagalli.

Kira and Cagalli looked at their fiancés first before they gave each other a questioning look. Now they were really convinced that something was up. They quickly thought of 5 possibilities for their strange behavior and one of those possibilities was correct. When Kira opened the door, the twins were greeted by party poppers, ribbons, and confetti.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRA! CAGALLI!" All of the twins' close friends were there to greet them, including Rey and his bodyguards, and the lovely Fllay Alster. They were all wearing cute party hats and some boys had party blowers in their mouth. The girls, most especially, were clothed in sexy summer outfits and they wore their best smiles for the twins.

Stellar was clinging to Shinn like a child while hugging a white teddy bear in her arm. The teddy bear was actually a gift from Shinn when she returned to ORB with Fllay. She was so pleased with the gift she didn't want to let it go. Stellar absolutely adored cute things and the teddy bear was the cutest.

Jean and Kai were standing side by side, and Jean seemed to be throwing glares at Kai. Athrun happened to notice the scary look on his sister's face and he knew it was Kai's fault again. But he decided not to intervene between the two of them. His sister can be dangerous when she's angry—much like his fiancée, Cagalli.

"A surprise party… Wow…" Kira said, blushing lightly, as he scratched the back on his head. "I-I don't know what to say."

Cagalli gave Athrun a significant look. "Did you guys plan all this?" she asked and Athrun nodded. "This is really great."

"This was Miriallia's and Rey's idea. We all just pitched in." Athrun placed his arm over her shoulders.

"It's so like you to forget your own birthday, Kira, Cagalli," Miriallia said, planting one fist on her hip. "What will you two do without me?"

The twins just blushed at her remark. Undeniably, Miriallia was right, they both thought. She always remembered the important dates of the year. It was a good thing that Miriallia was really their friend. "Thanks, Milly…" Kira and Cagalli said in unison.

Miriallia smiled. "You're welcome."

"I'm glad Miriallia-san told me about your birthday," Lacus said, holding a present wrapped in pink in her hand. "Because of her, I was able to buy a present for you in time." She gently shoved the present towards Kira's chest, wishing that he would like it.

"Thanks, Lacus," Kira said honestly.

Murrue walked out of the kitchen, carrying a two layered Black Forest birthday cake. She and Lacus personally baked the cake to perfection and they were sure that everyone would love the taste. "Let's get this party started, shall we?" She settled the cake on the table and turned to the twins. "The night's still young."

It was a memorable and amusing night for all of them. There was JPOP music, for most of the night, and Dearka and Rusty acted as deejays. The music was good, the jokes were funny, and the food was scrumptious thanks to Murrue and Lacus. Although they were mature men and women, they still played some simple party games and Cagalli practically ruled in each one of them. Kira had tried the pin the tail on the donkey, but he almost pinned it on Kai and Rusty. Everyone laughed at his mistake and Kira just blushed in embarrassment. It was a night without a mishap, and at midnight, everyone stood outside to watch the full moon.

Fllay and Rey grew a bit closer throughout the party. They had talked about politics and a little about their countries. But Fllay was beaming when she started talking about fashion and movies. Rey was attracted to her somehow, but it wasn't love or anything like that. It was simply an attraction. Rey wanted to get to know her more, so he invited Fllay to take a stroll along the shores, which she agreed.

"Those two will be a couple in no time," Dearka said, cupping his chin, as he eyed the Rey and Fllay keenly.

Miriallia could also sense something different between the two of them, so she agreed with Dearka. "They look good together," she said. "And I'll bet those two will end together sooner or later." Miriallia pointed a finger at Jean and Kai, who were arguing nonsense again.

"Oh, those brats…" Dearka placed his hand on his temple and sighed. Looking at Jean hitting Kai several times on the head made him pity the poor guy. It was fairly obvious to him that they liked each other, but they were too stubborn to admit it.

"Kai seemed to have gotten over his feelings for Cagalli," Miriallia said, leaning against Dearka for support, because she was getting a little sleepy. "And Jean has been secretly admiring Kai for a long time now."

"I'm pretty interested in their relationship," Dearka said, chuckling. "I can imagine their chaotic future together." When he laughed out loud, Miriallia pulled his ear and clamped his mouth with her hand.

"Shut up…" Miriallia said after she heard Jean shout out something important. Miriallia noticed that they have stopped arguing and she could see the faint blushes on their faces. Miriallia became suspicious of them. "Let's go inside." Before he could answer, Miriallia dragged him inside. She figured that Jean and Kai might need some private time outside.

Jean felt her face going red. She didn't mean to say it. It was an accident. She was so furious at Kai that she managed to say it. She chewed on the corner of her lip. "Forget what I said," she said, feeling nervous.

"How could I forget?" Kai stared at Jean, his blue eyes trying to search hers. "What you said was—"

"NO!" Jean immediately broke in. She didn't want to hear it. She felt so embarrassed. How could she be so careless? "I wasn't even serious when I said that." She turned away to hide her troubled expression from him.

Kai knew that she was lying. The way she said those words a while ago were pure and sincere—even if it was out of rage. He held her shoulder and, with the use of his other hand, he tilted her chin to make her look at him. "If you're not ready, it's fine by me," he said, giving her a pleased look. "But I'm willing to wait."

"What the hell are you saying, Kazuya?!" Jean said, raising a brow. "Willing to wait? For what?" She was pretending to not know, even though it was so obvious.

"I know you're not dense, Jean," Kai said, shaking his head.

Jean pursed her lips as she fiddled with her fingers. She was getting more nervous by the minute. Then she realized that there was no use in trying to hide her exposed feelings. She might as well tell the truth to Kai. It was now or never. "All right… I admit it… I love you, Kai. There, are you happy now?" Hints of sarcasm were in her voice.

"You said it twice." Kai took hold of her hand. "And I like the sound of it." He stroked her long red hair and caressed her cheek.

Jean was becoming redder than her hair and she cursed herself for being so vulnerable in front of Kai.

Shinn and Stellar went back inside and took a seat in the living room. Shinn was exhausted from all the excitement. But, surprisingly, Stellar was still full of energy. Where does all her energy come from? Shinn wondered if he should ask her that, but he decided to keep quiet.

"Want something to drink, Shinn?" Stellar asked with a loving grin as she pat the teddy bear's head. "Beer? Coffee or Soda? Take your pick!"

"No thanks…" Shinn leaned to kiss her. "I just want you here," he whispered into her ear as he held her hand.

Stellar's smile grew wider. "Okay…" she said, blushing slightly, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "It feels right to just sit here, with you by my side. Stellar really likes Shinn." She was imitating the voice of a child when she said that and she looked absolutely adorable and innocent.

Shinn blushed furiously. "Yeah… I feel the same way…" he said, stuttering. He wasn't used to romantic moments. Heck, Stellar was the first girlfriend he ever had and he had no experience on what to do during times like that. But Stellar didn't seem to mind his awkwardness, which was a big relief for him. He placed an arm over her shoulder and rested his cheek against her head. Being with her was like being with an angel, Shinn mused.

Kira and Lacus went upstairs to the balcony. They wanted to get a better view of the moon. They stood there for a long moment, breathing in the nice fresh air. Kira gently touched her hand, and Lacus gave him a smile.

"I love you, Kira," she whispered, and closed her eyes, as he looked at her.

"I love you too, Lacus. I always will." And then as though a force greater than him made him kiss her on the lips. It was his second kiss with a girl, but this time it was a girl he truly loved.

She felt peaceful and warm, as she deepened the kiss, and after a long time, they parted for air. Her eyes were locked onto his amethyst ones. She had the sense of joy, and when she leaned forward to peck Kira's cheek, she was smiling like an angel.

Athrun sat right next to Cagalli on the big rock near the water. And she smiled, as she turned to Athrun, thinking about their future together, and she was mesmerized when Athrun wrapped his arms around her. The love shared between the two of them was strong and passionate. The misunderstandings and arguments before were nothing more than obstacles to overcome.

"Promise me that you'll wear that pendant all the time, Cagalli," he said, in the same tone he had used when he gave her the present, filled with tenderness and love for her.

"I will. I promise." He nodded, and then looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

Cagalli sure felt lucky to have Athrun. He had always been good with her, and she liked everything about him. Every time she gazed upon his emerald orbs she could feel her heart bursting. And whenever he touches her and make her feel wanted, her face will turn into a bright Christmas bulb. Cagalli had first met Athrun as a soldier, a knight assigned by the king to protect the princess. Now Athrun was more than a knight in shining armor. He was a prince and Cagalli was the princess.

She laughed inwardly at herself. Why was she thinking about prince and princess? Didn't she hate the idea of being a princess? Well, it was a fact that was she the Princess of Orb, but she hated acting like one. She had Athrun to blame for being such a prince and a gentleman. Athrun Zala, the guy she loved so much, her fiancé and soul mate, would always be in her heart with her.

**THE END**

* * *

JC: The final chapter of Love Fulfilled 2: Entwined Hearts. I've finished it at last! The ending was full of lovely moments and I couldn't help adding Jean and Kai. They are my own characters, of course. The birthday surprise was a pretty random idea for me. Kira chose Lacus in the end, and Fllay was just fine with that. Well, that's about it. I want to thank all the reviewers who have supported this fic to the last. I hope you read your reviews again in my future fics.


End file.
